As India eyes global coach exports market, PM to visit Raebareli rail factory on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Modern Coach Factory in UP's Raebareli on December 16 as India readies to enter the competitive market of manufacturing and exporting quality coaches.

The visit assumes significance as it comes months after the railways proposed that it was keen to manufacture and export bullet train coaches to countries which are building high-speed corridors.

The factory has already generated a lot of interest with officials from Korea, Japan, China, Germany and Taiwan already visiting the facility.

A railway official said many countries can use India as its manufacturing hub as the cost of production here is much lower than in China, US or anywhere in Europe.

"For the first time in MCF we have entire coaches made by robots. There is a 1 km production line in which robots are lined up parallely working on some aspect of the coaches. Currently, we have 70 robots working in tandem. This is completely Make in India," the senior official said.

From January to March this year, MCF manufactured 229 coaches to surpass the target of 2017-18 with total production for the year at 711 against a target of 710. It has set a target to roll out 1,422 coaches in the next fiscal.

The official said, "It is a matter of great pride for us. The prime minister coming here is significant as this will send out a message that India is now in the competitive market to export its coaches."