Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna CPSU, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), a Navratna CPSU, to strengthen logistics and enhance operational efficiency across SAIL’s plants and mines.
SAIL operates a dedicated mini rail network within its plant and mining premises to facilitate seamless transportation of inbound raw materials, in-process movements and outbound finished products. Effective maintenance of its diesel locomotive fleet, supplemented by wet-leased locomotives, is critical to sustaining current operations and supporting SAIL’s planned capacity expansion and future growth.
As Indian Railways accelerates its transition towards electric locomotives, RITES continues to offer specialised expertise in diesel locomotive operations and maintenance—an area vital for sustaining SAIL’s diesel fleet. With access to Indian Railways’ infrastructure, spares and a pool of skilled manpower, RITES is well positioned to meet SAIL’s operational requirements and ensure reliability across its internal rail network.
The collaboration will enable both organisations to focus on their core competencies while optimising costs, improving operational efficiencies and contributing to a reduced carbon footprint.
The MoU was signed by P.K. Baisakhiya, Executive Director (Operations), SAIL, and Sandeep Jain, Executive Director (Technical Services), RITES, in the presence of senior officials from both organisations.
