Jindal Steel will export railroads to S.E. Asia
(ASIAN AGE : March 31, 2003)

Jindal Steel will export railroads to S.E. Asia Jindal Steel and Power Ltd is planning to export railroads from its Rs 400 crores Rail and Universal Beam Rolling Mill to China, Bangladesh and south east Asian countries in the first phase of the plant's operation. JSPL's railroad project, to be commissioned by March 2003, would produce the longest rail roads in the world, each 120 meters long. This will enable the Indian Railways to run trains at a speed of more than 300 km per hour. Mr Sushil K, Maroo, vice president, corporate finance, JSPL said: "We are bidding for different rail projects in countries like China and Bangladesh. The company has already placed bid proposals with the respective authorities," Currently, only the Steel Authority of India Ltd, manufactures 13 and 26 metre long rails. They are welded together to form 130-rnetre ,long rails, which are used by the railways. Mr Maroo said that JSPL is also setting up a flash butt welding line that will weld four 120-metre rails together for a total length or 480 meters. This will smoothen the tracks by bringing down frictional resistance substantially as the track will have only four welded joints per half km and three fish plate joints per km as against the present at least 18 welded joints per half km and seven fish plate joints per km. The company is also getting enquires from different corporates, which are building up rail to port connectivity for the movements of export goods. According to company estimates, once commercial production begins, the rail mill could generate sales worth Rs 1,200 crores annually of which around Rs200crores will be on account of exports.