ET report: Tata Steel official gives clarity on Vande Bharat order

27 Mar 2023 , 09:01 AM

A Tata Steel official who talked to ET has emphasized that the order was placed by the Railways for the provision of seats and interior panels for Vande Bharat trains, ‘not to manufacture its coaches.’ In accordance with the Rs 225 crore order, Tata Steel would provide lightweight seats for 23 coaches of Vande Bharat Rails and interior panels made of fiber-reinforced polymer composites for 16 coaches. Debashish Bhattacharjee is the Vice President (VP) of Tata Steel’s Technology & Innovative Materials Business.

According to several media outlets, Tata Steel has received orders to produce coaches for Vande Bharat trains, which is ‘false and unfounded. We have not yet been given the go-ahead to produce its instructors, ‘He told ET.

‘A competitive bidding process conducted by the national transporter resulted in Tata Steel winning the order for the seats and interior panels (the Railways). We showed up as L1 for the esteemed order, ‘He continued, stating that the deal is worth Rs225 crore.

According to a corporate spokesman, the company would deliver the composite solutions to Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, through its partner manufacturing plants dispersed throughout India.

ICF, a division of the Ministry of Railways, produces high-speed trains.

‘The materials for a couple of the trains have already been provided by us. On the Bangalore-Mysore sector, seats with fiber-reinforced polymer composite designs are already in use ‘He continued by stating that the entire order must be fulfilled by 2023.

According to Bhattacharya, the shipment will be delivered to the Railways via a rail route.

According to Bhattacharjee, Tata Steel will continue to create new products and search for additional prospects in the future of the railways and its infrastructure.

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