Chinese rolling stock and components conglomerate CRRC Nanjing Puzhen is setting up its metro coach manufacturing plant at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh at an initial investment of around Rs 350 crore.

The plant, for which the ground breaking ceremony was held recently, will be built on a plot of 45.3 acre and will be commissioned by the year-end. The project, aimed at generating employment for over 500 people, will manufacture rolling stock (coaches) for metro projects by Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRCL), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRCL).

The company has already bagged contract for supplying 216 metro cars for BMRCL project, with over 75 per cent of local manufacturing and over 50 per cent of local content. CRRC India, the subsidiary of the Chinese parent, has said that it will increase the local manufacturing to 90 per cent in future projects. Furthermore, by playing an active role as world factory of CRRC, the Sri City plant will undertake export order to West Asia and Africa in future.

With the upcoming Chinese company’s unit, Sri City will be home to two major metro rolling-stock manufacturing units, such as Alstom and CRRC which will be supplying 70 to 80 per cent of the requirements of metro projects in the country.

CRRC Nanjing Puzhen is the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment with the most complete product lines and leading technologies. Besides China, CRRC has a manufacturing presence in the US, Argentina, Malaysia and the UK and is embarking on its first manufacturing foray in India with Andhra Pradesh in Sri City.