Tata Steel today said its rail facility in France, upgraded with an investment of 35 million euros (about Rs 235 crore), is now ready to produce longer rails for the high-speed networks in France and other European countries.
"...Upgraded rail production facility in north-east France after a euro 35 million investment... Can now produce longer 108-metre rails for the high-speed networks in France as well as other European railways," Tata Steel said.
Previously, the plant Hayange, in the Lorraine region of France could roll out rails up to 80-metre long.
The investment, the largest and the most significant at Hayange for more than a decade, has boosted production capacity from 3 lakh tonne to 3.4 lakh tonne in a year and has improved yield and quality at the facility, the company statement said.
"The project to upgrade the Hayange rail mill demonstrates Tata Steel’s commitment to being the European leader in the rail sector," Tata Steel’s Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Adam said.
The company's two state-of-the-art rail facilities in the UK and France now have the world-class manufacturing capability and it will continue to support customers by offering innovative products and services in growth markets, he said.
Tata Steel's Rail Sector Lead, Gerard Glas said, "There has been a growth in demand in recent years for new high-speed rail lines in Europe. Our customers who are building these lines want to reduce their maintenance costs and give passengers a smoother ride. Using 108-metre long rails helps them to achieve this."
Earlier this month, Tata Steel had secured a major $70 million order to supply railway lines for a new high-speed track between the French cities of Tours and Bordeaux.
The order from construction consortium COSEA pertained to 84,000 tonnes of high quality rail for the 302 km long (188 miles) South-Europe-Atlantique line.
In December 2009, French railway operator SNCF signed a 350 million euros contract with Tata Steel to buy rail for up to six years.
In 2007, a TGV (French high speed train) broke the world train speed record on rail track supplied from Tata Steel’s Hayange plant. The French train reached a speed of 574.8 kph (357 mph) between Paris and Strasbourg.
