RITES Ups Ante On Exports, Signs Pact With Bangladesh Railway To Supply 200 Passenger Coaches

Leading railway PSU, RITES Ltd, has signed a contract agreement for supplying 200 broad gauge (BG) passenger carriages to Bangladesh Railway.

The export arm of Indian Railways, RITES, has won the $111.26 million (Tk 12,986 million) contract, funded by European Investment Bank (EIB), through a global competitive bidding process.

Each compartment will cost over Tk6 crore, with the EIB providing the funding. The government will cover approximately Tk303 crore (35 per cent) for unloading the carriages at Chittagong port.

As per the scope of the contract, besides supply, RITES will offer its expertise in design, spare parts support and training. The contract has a supply with commissioning period of 36 months, followed by a warranty period of 24 months.

The stainless steel, high-speed coaches will feature roof-mounted AC, automatic air brake systems, and eco-friendly designs. These coaches will be added to the trains operating in the southwestern region of the country.

RITES has beenn a old partner in Bangladesh’s path to infrastructure development. Earlier, it had supplied 120 BG passenger coaches (LHB type), 36 BG locomotives and 10 meter gauge locomotives to Bangladesh Railways, besides collaborating on other infrastructure projects.