Indian government owned and operated transporter Indian Railways (IR) has shifted to manufacture all stainless steel passenger coaches, pushing up domestic demand and consumption of stainless steel, government officials said on Friday, May 18.
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) operated by IR has started production of a new generation of passenger coaches replacing steel with stainless steel for various coach components such as the body, floor, panels and floorings, the officials said.
The officials said ICF aims to build 8,000 passenger coaches by 2020 and each coach will require 11-12 metric tons of stainless steel, replacing the steel components used until now.
According to Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA), Indian stainless steel production during 2018-19 is expected to be 4 million mt against an estimated production of 3.6 million mt during 2017-18.