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From metro coaches to Australia, locomotives to Myanmar and Bangladesh, passenger coaches to Mozambique and Sri Lanka, the Indian Railways’ global footprint is expanding as export of rail equipment have surged, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Parliament on Monday. He said that India is supplying other rail equipment as well such as propulsion system and bogie or underframe to multiple European countries.
“Today, from our country, the metro coaches are being exported to Australia. The mechanical structure below the locomotive and coaches, which is called bogie or the underframe, is being exported to United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France and Australia. Along with this the propulsion system, an important part of power electronics, is being now exported to France, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Germany and Italy. It is a matter of great pride,” said Vaishnaw during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Railways Budget.
He further said that passenger coaches are being exported to Mozambique, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Similarly, Indian locomotives are being sent to Mozambique, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Vaishnaw also announced that locomotives manufactured at Marhowra factory — a public private partnership (PPP) mode production unit in Saran district in Bihar — will be exported in near future.
“In the near future in Bihar, the Marhowra Factory, which was announced by Lalu Yadav (as then Railway Minister) and it got the momentum after Narendra Modi took charge in 2014, will export more than 100 locomotives soon. Thus, Made in Bihar locomotives will go around the world,” said the Minister in Rajya Sabha.
He further said that forged wheel will be exported from Tamil Nadu in near future.
Recently the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways also desired that Indian Railways should expand its business operation in exporting of rail components to enhance revenue without making any compromise on fulfilling of indigenous demand for rolling stock.
According to the report of the Committee, Railways exported rolling stocks — Locomotives and Passenger Coaches — of Rs 608.70 crore to Mozambique and Sri Lanka during 2022 and 2023. There was no export of rolling stocks in 2024.
In 2022, Indian Railways supplied one 3000HP diesel electric locomotive, manufactured at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) Varanasi, of Rs 30.59 crore and 58 passenger coaches & five diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) sets (each DEMU set comprising of six coaches), manufactured at Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, of Rs 293.32 crore to Mozambique. In the same year, Railways exported 40 broad gauge passenger coaches to Sri Lanka at a cost of Rs 164.77 crore. These coaches were manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. In 2023 too, Railways exported passenger coaches to Mozambique for over Rs 120 crore.
The Railway Minister stated that in FY25, Railways will transport 1.6 billion tonnes of cargo, making it one of the world’s top three freight carriers, alongside China and the USA.
Regarding the recent incident at New Delhi Railway Station, the Railway Minister informed the House that all CCTV footage and relevant data have been secured and approximately 300 individuals have been interviewed to verify facts.
