The Hindu Business Line : Wagon cos may source couplers from abroad

New Delhi April 3 Overseas companies which manufacture couplers conforming to American railroad standards may get an order for almost 9,000 couplers from some Indian wagon firms. Couplers are used to connect wagons in a rake and the design of couplers is important to ensure optimal capacity utilisation of the rakes. The demand would be from wagon building firms that bag the Railways order to supply 4,400 stainless steel wagons.

AAR STANDARDS

In its latest tender floated to acquire stainless steel wagons, the Railways has asked wagon suppliers to use couplers from companies that conform to the Association of American Railroad (AAR) standards. AAR members include the major freight railroads in the US , Canada and Mexico.

Usually, Indian Railways sources rolling stock and equipment from companies that are approved by the Lucknow-based Research Design and Standardisation Organisation (RDSO). While RDSO has specified the standards for steel wagons based on a pilot test, it is yet to firm up the design specifications for the couplers that would be used to hold the stainless steel wagons together.

PRICING

At present, Indian coupler manufacturing firms do not have AAR certification and getting the certification may take long, said an official.

While admitting that the imported couplers would be relatively expensive than the indigenous ones, industry sources declined to comment on the extent to which these would be expensive. Each indigenously manufactured coupler costs about Rs 20,000. "Broadly, the imported couplers could cost between 1.4-1.7 times the indigenous couplers," said sources. However, these couplers would be used in the rakes with stainless steel wagons, which would also give higher returns compared to other wagons.

WAGON ORDER

In its latest tender for 2007, the Railways aims to acquire a total of 10,448 wagons, out of which 4,400 wagons are going to be stainless steel wagons (a first for the Indian Railways). These are lighter wagons (with a lower tare weight) and thus, can carry higher freight load, resulting in higher revenues for Railways.

No free supply

In another deviation from the tender procedure followed in the last three-four years, the Railways has decided that bogies and couplers would not be free supply (FS) items any more for wagon supplying companies.

In simple terms, as per the new procedure, wagon manufacturing firms would have to buy and supply bogies and couplers as well, unlike the last few years when the Railways had decided to acquire and supply bogies and couplers to its wagon suppliers. "This financial year only the public sector wagon makers, who are not in very good financial health, would be supplied bogies and couplers by the Railways," explained official sources.

More Stories on : Railways | Outsourcing

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Steps soon for promoting coastal shipping

JNPT crosses 3-million TEU mark

Cargo handling at major ports up 9.5%

Mumbai port shipments at all-time high of 52.3 mt

Kochi port registers 10.2% rise in throughput

Chamber plea on lorry stir

TN poultry trade worried over lorry strike in Kerala

Wagon cos may source couplers from abroad

Delhi Metro to help Jakarta Metro project

Golden Rock despatches rake for Concor

South Eastern Rly freight earnings rise 23.29%