04.10.08, Times Of India
Upbeat about the prospects in the vast Indian market, global transport major Bombardier Transportation is hardselling its trains and related technologies to states and central agencies. The company, in fray for several contracts for metros to locomotives, has underlined India as a focus market.
Bombardier is also looking at India as a production base with low-cost and advanced engineering skills for manufacture of metro trains meant for exports. Andre Navarri, the French chief executive of Bombardier Transportation, said India is a big opportunity with the need for affordable urban transport solutions. “Indian cities need high-capacity mass transit system. Our trains are extremely modular, allowing Indian cities to adapt them to their needs,” he said on the sidelines of Innotrans 2008, an international exhibition of trains and transport technologies.
Navarri is clear that Bombardier does not intend to bid for mono-rail or tram contracts for the moment in India. “Our new factory at Savli, near Baroda, is designed to primarily manufacture metro train coaches. However, it can be tweaked a little to produce other types of trains too, in future,” he said.
Officials in Bombardier said the new plant at Savli would manufacture its ‘Movia’ range of coaches ordered by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Although the plant would be inaugurated on November 13, actual production at the Savli assembly line would start in May next year. “The Indian staff would under go training at Goerlitz and Siegem plants in Germany, the base facilities for the Movia, before indigenous production starts at Savli,” said Bombardier’s India CEO Rajeev Jyoti. Incidentally, Movia coaches are in use in Shanghai and Shenzen in China, London, Bucharest, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, Helsinki, Toronto and Chicago, pointed out Bombardier officials.
Asked about the status of various metro contracts in India, Jyoti said Bombardier is actively involved in bidding for second line in Mumbai and the Bangalore city to airport connector line. The company is also engaged in talks with the winning bidder in Hyderabad for supply of trains, equipment and signalling systems, said Jyoti.
Read more on the same topic:
@Welcome gundappa
nice to see India goin ICE way ……..