Tata and Jindal in top 5 to secure Rs 15.86 bn rail order

Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL), ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS), Steel Authority of India (SAIL), and Jindal Stainless (JSL) had been awarded steel supply contracts worth Rs 15.86 billion by the Railways. Bids had been called in July 2023 for procuring Mild/Corten Steel Sheets/Plates/Coils, but the awards were only finalized earlier this month. Another tender had been called in February 2024 for purchasing stainless steel sheets and plates, which were also awarded at the same time. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a public sector undertaking, had secured the majority share in both tenders. SAIL would be supplying 1.05 lakh metric tonne (MT) of steel worth Rs.671.27 crore and another 16,356 MT of stainless steel worth Rs 2.17 billion. Tata Steel had acquired the second highest supply quantity, with 52,753 MT of steel being procured by the Indian Railways for Rs 3.33 billion. The steel procured would be useful in the fabrication of railways wagons, coaches, and foot over bridges, among other applications. Indian Railways had recently increased its locomotive production target for fiscal 2025 by 27% to 1,500 units. The national transporter aimed to maintain this annual production target unchanged until FY27. The railways had eight production units in the country where they manufactured wheels, axles, locomotives, and coaches. They had aimed to conclude fiscal 2023-24 with 1,180 new locomotives.