Land identified for setting up maintenance facility for Vande Bharat coaches in Tiruchi

About 30 acres of railway land in Tiruchi has been earmarked for setting up a dedicated facility for the maintenance of Vande Bharat Express trains. 

The land is near the upcoming Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) shed near Manjathidal railway station. It was identified by the authorities of the Golden Rock Railway Workshop here. Ashish Sharma, Additional Member (Mechanical Engineering), Railway Board, New Delhi, visited the site on Thursday.

The Railway Board nominated the Golden Rock Railway Workshop two months ago to undertake SS-I (Shop Schedule) and other major schedules of the Vande Bharat train sets in the place of Perambur Workshop in Chennai. This is a ₹300-crore project. “If required, more railway land will be utilised,” said the workshop authorities. 

The workshop has prepared the abstract estimate for the establishment of the new facility and it will be reviewed by the Southern Railway. The estimate includes machinery and plant requirements, civil works, and overhead electrical arrangements required for the maintenance of Vande Bharat coaches, the authorities said.

Built during the British era, the Golden Rock Railway Workshop takes up a variety of tasks such as periodic overhaul of diesel locomotives and passenger coaches, manufacture of wagons and automobile carriers besides undertaking periodic overhauling of steam locomotives operated in the Nilgiri Mountain Railway section.

Some technical personnel of the workshop were sent to various railway workshops across the country handling the maintenance of Vande Bharat coaches to gain first hand experience and ascertain the requirements for setting up the facility in Tiruchi. The Vande Bharat trains have strong safety features, including the Kavach safety system, and can run up to a speed of 160 kmph.