“ At present with the use of open discharge toilets in trains , the human waste gets dumped directly on the tracks , creating serious safety implications arising out of corrosion of rails and related hardware including fittings. Apart from issue of Hygiene, this creates several safety implications arising out of corrosion of rails and related hardware,” Said Mr J S Sondhi, Additional Director General ,Railway Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO) ,Indian Railways while inaugurating a conference on Conference on Corrosion in Steel and Concrete structures organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here today.
“ The Indian railway is also using corrosion resistance stainless steel for new coaches especially in Linke-Hofman-Bush ( LHB) coaches which are considered safer because they do not topple easily when a train derails. Light ,safe and Energy-efficient trains are the future of railway travel. World wide now focus on producing safer, faster, aesthetic and more comfortable stainless steel. India has at present about 3500 LHB coaches mostly used in Shatabadi and Duranto trains. At present about 1220 new LHB coaches are being produced per annum by railways ” added Mr Sondhi.
“To move towards sustainability Indian railways has decided to set up automatic coach washing plants at major coach washing yards to save water required for cleaning trains. These units will have added facilities for treatment of water for reuse “ he added.
“ The Indian railways should spend the passenger safety allocation to upgrade the safety standards of coaches with high strength Duplex stainless steel to make the coach lighter to save on energy cost, less wear and tear on wheels and tracks and most importantly provide safety to passengers in the event of a crash due to very high impact strength. The weight saving can neutralize the extra weight being added due to bio toilets and dig-ester tanks.” Said said Mr Yatinder Pal Singh Suri, Co chairman of the CII conference and Managing Director and Country head ,Outokumpu, World’s largest stainless steel making company while speaking at the seminar.
“India loses INR 2 trillion (USD 40 billion) every year due to corrosion of infrastructure, industrial equipment and other vital installations, according to last estimates from Corrosion Management Committee of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) . Corrosion has a huge economic and environmental impact on virtually all facets of the world’s infrastructure, from highways, bridges, and buildings to oil and gas, chemical processing, water and waste water systems and particularly industrial structures.” Said Mr Suri ,
“In addition to causing severe damage and threat to public safety, corrosion especially in coastal states including Gujarat where salt content is high in atmosphere, water, rain and air disrupts. operations and requires extensive repair and replacement of failed assets. India is a resource crunched nation it needs sustainable and maintenance free Infrastructure that has long span of life. States like Gujarat and Maharashtra being coastal states have highest number of high end critical industries including petroleum, energy, ports, auto industry and power plants ,where sustainable production is the key “ said Mr Yatinder Pal Singh Suri
“These high end industries in the country need high quality corrosion resistance stainless steels which form a key material in hostile environments . Outokumpu , being the oldest manufacturer with over 80 years of experience and a pioneer in product and application innovations, is supporting the demand for customised stainless steel for all leading engineering companies as a reliable supplier.” Said Mr Suri.
The other experts who spoke on the occasion included Dr Samir Degan, Vice President Elect, NACE International, Dr Prem Krishan. Former head civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee and V R Krishnan, Former consultant, Engineers India limited
