E-Paper
Five NCR depots instructed to maintain rakes for Vande Bharat trains
The Railway Board has issued instructions in this regard to Prayagraj-headquartered North Central Railway
In the backdrop of Indian Railways planning to introduce 102 Vande Bharat trains on different routes across the country, Railway Board has asked respective zones to start preparing the infrastructure needed to maintain the rakes of these prestigious trains earlier called “Train 18”.
Prayagraj-headquartered North Central Railway (NCR) has also been instructed to prepare five of its depots to maintain the rakes of these trains, as and when they get introduced in coming months, say NCR officials. Besides, Prayagraj, the depots identified under NCR for the mission are Kanpur, Agra Fort, Gwalior and Virangna Lakshmibai junction, they add.
“Following the missive of the Railway Board, a letter to the three divisions of NCR, including Prayagraj, Agra and Jhansi have already been sent from NCR headquarters and we have started work in this direction. As of now, the routes are not decided but we have been asked to develop maintenance facilities at five locations and tentatively one rake each will be maintained at these facilities”, said chief public relations officer (CPRO), NCR, Shivam Sharma.
“We already have pit lines for maintenance at our major terminals. However, Vande Bharat having the latest train technology requires upgraded facilities which we will now develop,” he added.
“Currently, 16 coaches of the Vande Bharat are operational but there is a plan to take them up to 24 coaches and accordingly we will develop maintenance facilities to cater for maintenance of 24 coaches,” he added.
The communication from the Railway Board came in the last week of April. Indian Railway plans to induct around 100 ‘Vande Bharat’ chair-car trains. Two such trains are already operating between New Delhi, Varanasi and Katra.
Presently, the sprawling broad gauge coaching depot located at all the five locations of NCR as mentioned in the Board’s letter maintain several important mail and express trains under its jurisdiction. These include major trains being maintained here at Prayagraj including Prayagraj-Jaipur-Bikaner Express, Sangam Express, Prayagraj-Haridwar Express among others.
The letter sent by the Railway Board says that Indian Railway has planned to induct 102 additional chair cars Vande Bharat trains over its network. Manufacturing work under way at integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is at very advance stage and first rake is likely to be commissioned in August 2022.
