Kazipet rail coach factory to start production in 2026: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Production at Telangana's Kazipet rail coach factory will begin next year, says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, adding the ₹500-crore facility will manufacture export-grade coaches

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced that production at the upcoming rail coach factory in Kazipet, Telangana, will begin next year.

 

Speaking during his visit to the site, approximately 130 km from Hyderabad, Vaishnaw stated that the facility is a major, modern unit being established with an investment of ₹500 crore, according to a report by the Press Trust of India.

 

The Minister, who holds the Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT portfolios, said the factory is equipped to manufacture coaches, engines, and other key railway components. It has been designed to handle a range of railway production needs.

 

He described the unit as having one of the best layouts globally and said the output would be of export-standard quality. He also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilling Telangana’s long-standing demand for a coach factory at Kazipet.

 

Vaishnaw further pointed out that Indian Railways has secured an order to export 150 locomotives and that steps have already been taken to begin exporting metro coaches as well. "India will emerge as a major railway manufacturing and exporting country in the future," he said.

 

Fulfilling a decades-old demand

 

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, who was present during the visit, thanked PM Modi and the railway minister for setting up the unit in Kazipet. He said the demand for a coach manufacturing facility in the region dates back over four decades and that former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, who hailed from what is now Telangana, had also pushed for it.

 

Reddy added that the demand gained momentum during the Telangana statehood movement and is now being realised under PM Modi's leadership. The factory is expected to directly employ around 3,000 people and create indirect job opportunities for many more, Reddy said.

 

Plans to double train handling capacity in Hyderabad

 

Addressing the media, Vaishnaw said that Hyderabad remains a key area for expanding the railway network. He shared that the South Central Railway General Manager, based in Secunderabad, has been tasked with increasing train handling capacity in the Hyderabad region, including Secunderabad and nearby stations, from 600 trains a day to 1,200.

 

Vaishnaw also mentioned that the upcoming Regional Ring Road (RRR) project in Telangana would be transformative. He added that the Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had recently met him in Delhi and requested a 30-metre-wide corridor alongside the RRR to support rail connectivity throughout the route.