JSPL bags export order to supply 12,000 tonnes of rail blooms to France

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) said on Wednesday it has bagged a contract to supply 12,000 tonnes of special grade rail blooms to France Rail Hayange.

Britain and France have also evinced interest in JSPL's products and they are expected to place orders soon, it said in a statement.

JSPL, the only private-sector company to manufacture head-hardened rails, recently bagged a 2,308 tonne supply order from Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) for development of Kolkata Metro Corporation.

Head-hardened rails are typically used in metro rail projects and high-speed freight corridors, which require maximum durability against wear and material fatigue caused by escalating train frequencies, high acceleration and deceleration, abrupt braking and higher axle loads.

Head-hardening technology entails a special heat treatment process that requires precise temperature control to achieve nearly 50 per cent higher hardness as compared to a normal rail.

"JSPL believes in innovation and is undertaking multiple experiments successfully in the rail sector," said Managing Director V R Sharma.

After the rail freight corridor and increasing demands for metro rails, JSPL has got a certification from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation.

The company has also started the production of 1,080 head-hardened heat-treated grade rails, said Sharma.

A part of the 22 billion dollar O P Jindal Group, JSPL is an industrial powerhouse with an active presence in steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.