Indian firm receive major order for high-speed rail line
Indian firm Tata Steel has been awarded a lucrative Letter of Intent for the supply of rail to a high-speed line in France.
Eiffage Rail, who awarded the Letter of Intent, require around 50,000 tonnes of rail for the new 113-mile development. The steel, which will be manufactured in Scunthorpe, UK, will be rolled into rail in Tata Steel’s North East France mill, with expected delivery in 2015.
Extension of existing line
The line will connect the cities of Le Mans and Rennes and will be an extension of an existing line. Benefits of the new high-speed line include a reduction in travel time of 37 minutes between Paris and Rennes.
Significant investment
Head of Tata Steel’s Rail Sector, Gerard Glas, commented: “We will be supplying rails each measuring 108 metres long for this new high-speed line, giving passengers a smoother ride and reducing maintenance costs.”
“We’ve been investing significantly in state-of-the-art technology at our Hayange rail mill – almost 50 million euro in three years – to enable us to make the highest quality rail and help us create a sustainable future for our 400 employees there.”
The project is one of the biggest in Europe and is expected to create 10,000 jobs during construction.
