Bombardier delivers 600th MOVIA car to Delhi Metro

Our Bureau Updated - October 25, 2012 at 11:44 AM.

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has successfully delivered the 600th MOVIA metro car to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Harsh Dhingra, Chief Country Representative India, Bombardier Transportation, today handed over the metro car to Mangu Singh, Managing Director, DMRC, in Savli, Gujarat, in the presence of management teams and employees of both companies.

MOVIA metros from Bombardier continue to form an integral element of DMRC expansion plans to improve mobility and expand the current network to the outskirts of the city. Ridership is expected to reach an impressive 4 million passengers each day.

The modern, high capacity MOVIA vehicles are designed to accommodate 1,480 passengers per four-car train set. This can be increased to 2,220 passengers per six-car set and 2,960 passengers per eight-car set. Sustainability and eco-friendliness are among the key aspects of the technologies used, such as the MITRAC propulsion system with regenerative braking which creates up to 30 per cent in energy savings.

Mangu Singh, Managing Director, DMRC, said: "Delhi Metro has been expanding its network rapidly and the DMRC is pleased to celebrate the delivery of the 600th metro car. These coaches will help us to carry the increasing number of metro passengers in Delhi in a safe and efficient manner."

Bombardier broke new ground as the first multinational company to set up a wholly owned railway vehicle manufacturing site at Savli, Gujarat, which includes the production of car bodies and bogies. With an investment valued at 33 million euro, the site has generated employment opportunities for nearly 800 people and indirectly generates approximately 3,000 jobs in the Vadodara region of Gujarat. The site recently had its International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) certification upgraded, thereby becoming the only railway vehicle manufacturing unit in India to achieve this accomplishment.

Bombardier's manufacturing facilities have been involved in the complete range of railway vehicle manufacturing during the last three years of commercial production, and are gearing up to expand the company's industrial activities in the country as well as regionally. Bombardier is also responsible for the train control and signalling system on two line sections of the Delhi Metro network, covering 39 km.

The Savli site is involved in the manufacturing and supply of semi-finished BOMBARDIER FLEXX Metro 3001 bogies for Adelaide's Suburban Rail Network in Australia. In addition, it will assemble and deliver diesel locomotives to Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc for its export to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

Bombardier Transportation offers the broadest portfolio in the rail industry and delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. The company employs around 1,100 people in India, where it operates a railway vehicle manufacturing site at Savli including a bogie assembly hall; a propulsion systems manufacturing facility and software development centre for signalling and traction applications at Maneja, Gujarat; and an engineering centre in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, which is already sourcing key global projects.

Bombardier is a Canadian MNC, but Bombardier Transportation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and has a very diverse customer base with products or services in more than 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide.

>ramesh.m@thehindu.co.in

Published on October 25, 2012 05:06