"Titagarh Rail Systems Diversifies Portfolio Beyond Freight Wagons"

Titagarh Rail Systems, a prominent private sector manufacturer of railway freight wagons, is swiftly diversifying its operations to include the production of passenger rail systems, including the development of driverless metro trains. As a critical supplier to Indian Railways, the company currently churns out 1,000 wagons monthly.

Recent expansions at its Kolkata headquarters signify Titagarh's commitment to diversification, with a focus on manufacturing Vande Bharat train sets, metro coaches, and propulsion systems in the passenger railway segment.

In a strategic partnership with ABB India, the Indian counterpart of the Swiss-Swedish power and automation giant ABB, Titagarh is forging ahead in the development of driverless metro trains. Prithish Chowdhary, Deputy CEO-Passenger Rail Systems at Titagarh Rail Systems, emphasizes the significance of this collaboration in enhancing their expertise and establishing proprietary technology in driverless metro propulsion systems.

"This marks the first instance where driverless metro propulsion technology will be indigenous to an Indian firm. It forms a crucial part of our capital expenditure," explains Chowdhary, highlighting recent orders secured from Surat Metro and Ahmedabad Metro, with ABB set to supply propulsion for both projects.

Titagarh Rail Systems, formerly known as Titagarh Wagons, has rapidly positioned itself as a formidable player in passenger rail systems, boasting two facilities in Titagarh alongside a dedicated passenger rolling stock unit in Uttarpara, West Bengal. The Uttarpara facility is slated to manufacture Vande Bharat sleeper trains.

"While established players like Alstom have historically dominated the passenger rail systems sector, we are determined to carve our niche in this arena. Once our production capacity reaches 850 coaches annually, we aim to emerge as market leaders," Chowdhary affirms.

Titagarh Rail Systems' Bharatpur facility in Rajasthan serves as India's largest manufacturer of freight rolling stock. Maintaining a consistent production rate of 1,000 wagons per month since December 2023, the company boasts an impressive annual output of 12,000 wagons.

Chowdhary also reveals a recent order from Indian Railways for 4,463 wagons, slated for delivery over the next 14 months, further solidifying Titagarh's pivotal role in India's railway infrastructure landscape.

HBL