Modi’s vision on next in Gujarat’s transportation

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated Bombardier company’s Rs 200 crore state-of-the-art railway vehicle manufacturing facility in Savli, Vadodara.

Speaking at the occassion Modi expressed his willingness for the Water way transport greed and Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train projects.

Modi said “Gujarat would become a hub for Surface Transportation Management system. Gujarat government is working on a project for Sardar Sarovar Narmada canal based gravity oriented internal water way transportation system. Also under consideration is water way route from Damanganga river in south Gujarat to Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad. The Dahej-Ghogha sea transportation and passenger ferry service will be started in year 2010 which is the golden jubilee year of the state.”

Modi said “another project for manufacturing of Railway wagon is in progress in Gujarat. Gujarat is the first state where India’s first private railway line project has been implemented. Gujarat government is ready for Ahmedabad-Mumbai fastest bullet train project.”

Narendra Modi participated in a panel discussion of CNBC on ‘Mobility in India’. Other panelists were Dr. M Ramachandran, Secretary, Urban Development, Government of India and Dr. E Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

Bombardier in Vadodara

Bobardier’s new production site in Gujarat, representing an investment of 33 million euros, will directly generate 750 new jobs dedicated to railway vehicle production, including stainless steel car body manufacturing, bogie manufacturing and final assembly activities. In addition, a further 2000 indirect jobs will be created based on increased activity in Bombardier’s local supplier base.

The Savli manufacturing site was built in a record 18 months and will be operating soon; with the first railway cars already expected at the assembly lines by March 2009. Bombardier’s new manufacturing site in India was designed and built from scratch following the most modern industrial standards worldwide and based on a transfer of technology from Bombardier’s state-of-the-art railway vehicle manufacturing plant located in Gorlitz, Germany.

The new manufacturing site is set to serve projects in India as well as in the South East Asia region, the first order of which being the delivery of 424 BOMBARDIER MOVIA metro cars to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). To ensure a successful transfer of technology, the first 36 metro cars for DMRC will be produced by Bombardier in Germany while the remaining 388 metro cars will be produced in Vadodara, India.

“The fact that this highly complex manufacturing facility was completed so fast and smoothly is primarily due to the extraordinary commitment of our staff in India and in Europe”, said Mr. Stephane Rambaud Measson, President, Passengers Division, Bombardier Transportation. “I would also like to thank DMRC management for having selected our state-of-the-art vehicles and systems to respond to Delhi’s mobility needs. I’m certain we will meet expectations by delivering our highly reliable and energy efficient MOVIA metro cars on time.”

Gujarat site will result in broader industrial development of the country due to the production requirements requested by Bombardier for its local vendors. In addition, the most advanced manufacturing techniques will be applied, using spot-welding robots, making Bombardier the first railway company in India to use robotic welding technology for car body manufacturing.

“Given all other production and engineering activities Bombardier is involved in here, such as the propulsion systems manufacturing site and the signaling systems software engineering centre, Vadodara becomes the only city in the world equipped to deliver all key electrical and mechanical components for the manufacturing of railway vehicles. It has become a true railway cluster in India”, said Rajeev Jyoti, Managing Director, India, Bombardier Transportation. ”We wish to thank Mr. Narendra Modi, the honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, for all the support that his Government has given us during the set-up of this site.”

Like other countries experiencing rapid growth and industrialization, India too is facing environmental concerns regarding its development, in particular the issue of energy efficiency across industries. Responding to these needs, Bombardier recently introduced its BOMBARDIER ECO4 modular portfolio of innovative technologies, products and services that covers a wide spectrum of performance requirements and offers specific benefits for train operators. These range from planning the energy efficiency of new transportation systems to aerodynamically enhancing new train designs or optimizing the energy consumption of an existing fleet, all creating substantial overall energy savings of up to 50 per cent. Bombardier is dedicated to enriching rail transportation in the most sustainable methods and this dedication is extended to its practices in India as well.

Bombardier Transportation has been present in India for over 35 years. It has supplied Indian Railways with technologically advanced rail products, such as the WAP5 and WAG9 electric locomotives for passenger and freight applications and the Mumbai Traffic Management System. This system controls the 60-km rail stretch around Mumbai – one of the world’s heaviest rail commuter traffic areas – on which the Western Railways runs an impressive number of 1,000 trains everyday on time and safely.

More recently, Bombardier has been awarded contracts for the delivery of a second TMS for Central Railway in Mumbai, which will manage an excess of 1,400 services daily; production and delivery of its BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 350 train control and signaling system for two new sections of lines of Delhi Metro, a total of 37 kilometers and 424 MOVIA metro cars to DMRC.