Indian Rlys plans to invest Rs 250,000-Cr in next 5 yrs

New Delhi: of the planned investment of Rs 250,000 crore over the next five years, Indian Railways is expecting to attract Rs 100,000 crore investments through public-private partnership (PPP).

The Ministry is expecting concessions of about to Rs 25,000 crore in 2008-09 from the open competitive bids for these PPP projects. The plans cover modern rolling stock production units and construction of multi-modal logistics parks, modernisation of the New Delhi, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Patna and Secundarabad during 2008-09. Revamping the stations alone should attract Rs 15,000 crore according to the Ministry.

Open competitive bids will also be invited for the Rs 4,000-crore diesel loco, electric loco and rail coach factories to be set up in Rae Bareli and Kerala. The Kerala Government has given 1,000 acres for the factory.

Coach orders

Coach supply orders have been received from Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Myanmar, Angola, Senegal and Mali during last few years. The Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, also announced a Rs 40-crore new wagon reconstruction unit to come up at Garkha in Chapra district for reconstruction of old wagons to meet the growing need for wagon maintenance and reconstruction.

The modernisation of Lilluah Workshop in West Bengal, Perambur Loco Workshop and Ajmer Loco Workshop at a cost of about Rs 200 crore has also been proposed.

The Jamalpur Workshop would also be modernised at a cost of Rs 82 crore to enable its development like a production unit.