Indian Railways reaches Sri Lanka, to export DMU train sets to island nation

Indian Railways is going global spreading its wings in South Asian region. In one such development, the national transporter is now set to establish its footprint in Sri Lanka with export of six DMU (diesel multiple units) train sets comprising 78 modern coaches worth Rs 600 crore. All the train sets, manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, would be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, said an IANS report, adding that this order would give a great boost to Indian Railways' export business.
 
According to the delivery schedule finalised by the two nations, the first DMU train set comprising 13 coaches will be shipped out to the island nation in September, while the rest will arrive there by year-end. DMU train sets do not require separate locomotives as the engines are incorporated into one or more of its coaches.
 
There will be three different type of coaches including AC Executive Class, Second and Third Class, with  only seating facility, as per the Sri Lankan requirement, the report said. "The design of coaches is being finalised as per the customer`s choice and ICF has fully geared up to meet the export order in time," a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the manufacturing process told IANS.
 
The official further said, "There will be oscillation trial of the first rake which will be followed by shipment of five more rakes by the year-end or early next year." 
 
Notably, Indian government has been extending various lines of credit for funding railway projects for export of Indian Railways-manufactured locomotives and rolling stock to foster regional cooperation.
 
In a similar development, Nepal is all set to operate its first ever broad-gauge passenger railway service from Janakpur town to Indian border town Jayanagar in Bihar starting December, a senior Nepalese rail official reportedly said. 
 
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This section from Jayanagar to Nepal`s southeastern region covers 69 km Nepal-India cross border railway line. The other five cross-border railway lines between the two neighbours are either being constructed or are on the drawing board, Xinhua news agency reported.