PJI, India’s IRCON & Sumatec to jointly bid for Sudan rail project

By Thomas Soon
The Edge Daily (Malaysia)
August 7, 2003

PJI Holdings Bhd, India’s IRCON International Ltd and Sumatec Corporation Sdn Bhd have agreed to jointly submit the proposal for the construction of the second track for the 850km railway line between Khartoum and Sennar, and up to Haiya in Sudan.

In two separate statements on Aug 6, PJI said it had signed memoranda of understanding with IRCON and Sumatec Corp on the same day pursuant to their agreement to submit the proposal for the project on a negotiated basis.

Sumatec Corp, which has undertaken projects in Sudan over the past four years, will soon be a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumatec Resources Bhd, which will be listed in place of Malaysian General Investment Corporation Bhd pursuant to its restructuring.

IRCON, which comes under India’s Ministry of Railways, specialises in turnkey infrastructure projects with vast experience in the design and building of railway line and associated facilities.

PJI said Sudan’s Ministry of Transport issued a letter of intent on July 29 for the project to its newly-acquired subsidiary Trans Africa Railway Corporation Sdn Bhd, formerly Technodel Engineering Sdn Bhd.

PJI and Sumatec Corp will collaborate and participate in the submission of the proposal for the project via Trans Africa Railway on the basis of a 70 per cent and 30 per cent stake respectively in the latter.

In another announcement, PJI said it had acquired a 70 per cent stake in Trans Africa Railway today from one Goh Boon Siew at RM7.

PJI did not state if IRCON would have any equity interest in the project.