New Delhi: Indian Railways currently operates 19 Rail Neer plants across the country to meet the demand for packaged drinking water at important railway stations and trains, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha.
Rail Neer is the packaged drinking water supplied through the Indian Railways network, with the existing plants catering to the requirements of passengers at major stations and on important trains.
19 Rail Neer Plants Operational Across Country
At present, 19 Rail Neer plants are operational across different parts of the country. Each plant has a production capacity of 1 lakh bottles per day.
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The plants are located at:
- Nangloi, Delhi
- Danapur, Bihar
- Ambernath, Maharashtra
- Palur, Tamil Nadu
- Maneri, Madhya Pradesh
- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh
- Nagpur, Maharashtra
- Una, Himachal Pradesh
- Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
- Jagiroad, Assam
- Sankrail, West Bengal
- Kota, Rajasthan
- Mandideep, Madhya Pradesh
- Sanand, Gujarat
- Bhusawal, Maharashtra
- Bhubaneswar, Odisha
- Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
- Simhadri, Andhra Pradesh
- Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
The distribution of plants across different railway zones and regions helps meet local demand for packaged drinking water and supports its availability at important stations and trains.
IRCTC Responsible for Setting Up New Plants
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been entrusted with setting up Rail Neer plants at identified locations based on the requirement and demand for packaged drinking water across the Indian Railways network.
This allows the Rail Neer infrastructure to be expanded according to passenger demand and operational requirements.
₹10 Crore Tentative Cost Under PPP Model
The government has also outlined the approximate cost of establishing a Rail Neer plant under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
A plant with a production capacity of 1 lakh bottles per day is estimated to cost approximately ₹10 crore. This includes the construction of a pre-engineered building (PEB) shed and installation of plant and machinery, excluding the cost of land.
Focus on Passenger Drinking Water Needs
The Rail Neer network is intended to ensure that packaged drinking water requirements are met at important trains and railway stations. The availability of dedicated production facilities in different parts of the country also helps support the supply chain for Rail Neer.
With 19 plants currently operational, Indian Railways has established a distributed production network for packaged drinking water, with each facility capable of producing 1 lakh bottles a day.
