A household metal used from kitchen to gates - stainless steel, often confused with steel, is being increasingly used for sustainable infrastructure across the country. Globally manufactured from scrap, stainless steel is rust free and durable. A reason why the stainless steel has emerged as a preferred material for many projects in railways infrastructure, and is being used beyond railway coaches to foot over bridges, cable trays among others.

Jindal Stainless has been supplying stainless steel for Indian railways coach segment for long. And is now collaborating towards building foot-over-bridges (FOB) and rail bridges as well. Abhyuday Jindal, MD, Jindal Stainless told Business Today, “We are committed to support the revamp of India’s coastal railway infrastructure. With high corrosion resistance, lower lifecycle costs, and negligible maintenance requirements, stainless steel is the optimum metal to build future-ready railway infrastructure for India’s sustainable tomorrow. Over the last few years, we have been dedicated partners to the Indian Railways in segments like railway wagons and coaches, and we are determined to augment our offerings with customised solutions to solve the pertinent problems in the nation’s growth story.”

In 2019, Indian Railways invited proposals for renewing FOBs across all railway divisions, especially in coastal areas where FOBs were exposed to highly corrosive environments and rising pollution levels, leading to extensive maintenance requirements. To overcome this challenge, Jindal Stainless developed and supplied a special stainless steel grade for three railway foot-over-bridges (FOBs) in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. “This is for the first time that stainless steel has been used for developing sustainable FOBs in India. Our in-house R&D wing has developed the most cost-effective and high-quality stainless steel for long-lasting structural applications – Jindal Durasafe, designed especially for coastal areas. This grade has been designed for zero maintenance, 100 years’ service life, and lower life cycle cost and carbon footprint,” says Jindal. The Company collaborated with RDSO (Research Designs & Standards Organization) and IIT Roorkee for testing, approval, and endorsement of the stainless steel grade, which eventually led to its formalisation for coastal railway infrastructural applications.

Jindal Stainless also plans to provide stainless steel to Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) Tunnel Project. This will be the first-ever application of stainless-steel cable trays in an Indian railway project. “USBRL is a project of national importance and is the biggest one in the construction of a mountain railway since independence,” adds Jindal.
Source: BusinessToday