Kolkata: Railway locomotives and freight wagons made in Bengal are set to ply in South Africa soon. City-based engineering and infrastructure company Texmaco Rail and Engineering Ltd plans to manufacture locomotive and freight rolling stock parts in Bengal and ship them to South Africa after bagging a Rs 5,300-crore contract.Two months ago, Texmaco Rail and Engineering Ltd, part of Saroj Poddar Group, announced plans to set up a plant in South Africa after receiving a Rs 4,100-crore contract in July. First-phase investment for this plant is around Rs 300 crore and is likely to be raised gradually. With more orders flowing in, total contract value from South Africa increased to Rs 5,300 crore in two months.“Our plan is to manufacture rolling stock and locomotive parts at our Bengal factories, complete locomotives through partner Wabtec, and send them to South Africa. Work to set up a South Africa plant is in full swing and will help maintain rolling stock supplied by us for 15 years according to contract. We are also in talks with local partners, including South African railways. Besides, rolling stock manufactured in Bengal can be assembled in the upcoming plant abroad,” Sudipta Mukherjee, Texmaco managing director, told TOI.Texmaco is drawing a new roadmap to expand its business to create a passenger mobility ecosystem, railway wheels, and defence products and solutions. Mukherjee pegged total investment at Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore in Bengal over the coming years.“Texmaco is also going to set up an electronic complex at Belghoria. We will identify land for Texmaco Defence System Pvt Ltd in Bengal to manufacture protective systems and autonomous vehicles,” he said.At present, manufacturing capacity is 14,000 wagons a year. Of the South Africa orders, half will be sent in 2027-28 and the rest in phases.
