SABIC resin to be used in Mumbai suburbans' seats

Saudi Arabia-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has agreed to provide Indian Railway's Integral Coach Factory (ICF) with 'Lexan' resin for manufacturer of new seating material for the Mumbai suburban rail system.

"Beyond supplying Lexan resin, SABIC was pleased to work collaboratively with ICF on a seating system that responds to rail industry trends towards greater sustainability and an increased focus on passenger experience," said Kim Choate, director, mass transportation, SABIC's innovative plastics business.

Choate's views were corroborated by B.M. Prasad, deputy chief mechanical engineer, ICF. He said: We chose to work with the SABIC innovative Plastics team as they are able to provide a total materials solution from concept through commercialisation."

According to the company, the fire-retardant extrusion grade of Lexan offers high impact resistance and mechanical strength for demanding application.

The new seats using SABIC's resin is being introduce in Mumbai suburban railway under a project to increase capacity and improve services on the system.

The Mumbai suburban rail system is considered to be the most densely packed and intensively used in the world.

The system is run by Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation, which is a public sector undertaking (PSU). The company is responsible for the overall execution of the project under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).