Kanchrapara: Railway Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 860-crore
state-of-the-art EMU and Metro rail coach manufacturing unit
here, promising it will be one of the best in the world.
"This will not only be the best in India, but it will
also be one of the best coach factories in the world,"
Banerjee told a packed audience at the foundation-stone-laying
ceremony at the Kanchrapara railway stadium in Nadia district.
Describing the project as the biggest in the state after
the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works set up in 1947, she said the
project would be executed in the Public-Private Partnership
model and the 153 acres of land required for it was already in
the possession of the Railways.
According to Railway sources, prospective bidders are
being given two months' time from March 31 this year to submit
proposals for participation as a joint venture partner.
Once operational, the factory will supply 500 EMU and
metro coaches over a period of 10 years, they said.
The Railways now have coach manufacturing units at
Perambur and Kapurthala.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 19:41