Alstom to roll out aluminium trains and double metro coach building capacity in Andhra Pradesh

Alstom India is reportedly aiming to roll out trains made of aluminium, while at the same time, reading to double its metro coach building capacity at a plant in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh in a bid to meet Montreal Metro and Mumbai Metro orders for trains. The news came when Alain Spohr, Managing Director for India and South Asia, Alstom, told reporters today, December 6, "We will be doubling our capacity by setting up a new line that could manufacture 22 cars per month. We are also studying the feasibility for rolling out trains made of aluminium."

Alain Spohr also intimidated reporters about receiving orders for 10 more metro trains from Chennai Metro.

According to Spohr, the Montreal Metro and Mumbai Metro orders will be executed from 2019 onwards. Both the orders involved supplying about 500 cars. Currently, the plant has a capacity to make about 240 cars per annum.

Spohr said the company had been looking at the feasibility of making aluminium trains for the Indian market as there were sufficient capacities for the group in other parts of the world.

He said two more trains would be supplied for Kochi Metro from December 2018 onwards.

"India is a major manufacturing and engineering centre for Alstom," Ling Fang, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, said.

When asked about the status of the electric locomotive engine plant in Madhepura in Bihar, Spohr said the assembling of six or seven locomotives began.

The electric locomotive project is a joint venture with Indian Railways to make 800 units.