Ircon wins $1 billion railway project in Malaysia

Mumbai: Ircon International Ltd (Ircon), a central public sector enterprise under the ministry of railways, has won a major project in Malaysia, valued at around $1 billion.

Ircon will undertake the project of electrified double tracking of rail lines between Seremban and Gemas in Malaysia.

The contract was signed in the presence of railway minister Lalu Prasad and Malaysia's minister of transport Datuk Ong Tee Keat in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The mega project, involving the construction of 34 river bridges, 107 small bridges and an 8-km-long tunnel in the first phase of the project, will be completed by July 2010.

Ircon has a long association with Malaysia, dating back to 1988, when it executed the rehabilitation of railway track from Paloh to Singapore and the Slim river to Seremban.

Since then Ircon has successfully completed and commissioned 11 major railway projects, which included approximately 441 km of track rehabilitation and construction of 200 km of new track.

"This has been a much awaited contract and we are very happy to have signed it with Ircon," Malaysian transport minister Ong Tee Keat told media. The project would generate numerous economic spin-offs and will be a catalyst for greater economic development and national progress, he added. 

Ong said Malaysia, which is already executing several infrastructure projects in India, is looking for more in-depth contracts.

Ircon International Limited (Ircon) was set up to utilise the Indian Railways' experience in helping developing nations to install or maintain their own railways and also to execute railway projects for private sector. 

The company has received the ISO-9001:2000 certification from TUV Germany for its full range of construction activities. It is also the only construction PSU awarded with the Mini-Ratna status by the Government of India. 

Ircon, the third largest construction company in India, specialises in railway electrification, signal and telecommunication, construction of roads, highways, commercial, industrial and residential complexes, airport runways, airport constructions, leasing of locomotives, mass rapid transit system, etc.