Golden Rock Railway Workshop to create facilities to maintain Vande Bharat trainsets
The Golden Rock Railway Workshop in Tiruchi is gearing up to create additional infrastructure as it has been nominated by the Railway Board to carry out maintenance of Vande Bharat trainsets.
With the Board advising the General Manager, Southern Railway, to plan for the development of infrastructure and testing facilities, authorities here are drawing up a plan for the purpose on an outlay of about ₹300 crore in the first phase.
Established during the British rule, the workshop is a premier railway establishment engaged in multifarious activities including periodic overhaul of broad gauge diesel locos and passenger coaches, manufacture of steam locomotives for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and producing freight and container wagons.
'We have been nominated to carry out all SSI and major scheduled maintenance of Vande Bharat coaches. Accordingly, we are drawing a plan to create the infrastructure that would entail an investment of about ₹300 crore in the first phase,' Santosh Kumar Patro, Chief Workshop Manager, Golden Rock Railway Workshop, told The Hindu.
The plan would include building a couple of pit lines of 600 metres each and a heavy repair shop with a 35 tonne capacity crane to lift the Vande Bharat coaches. 'Although Vande Bharat trains are operated here with six coaches only now, we plan to create facilities to handle rakes with 24 coaches, providing for the possibility of introduction of sleeper coaches in future,' Mr. Patro added.
The facility would include other necessary units such as wheel and paint shops. 'The facilities would come up on on about 30 acres. The detailed plan would be submitted to our headquarters within a month or two for approval,' he said.
The Railway Board's move is expected to give a fillip to the development of the Golden Rock workshop.
Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko welcomed the decision to nominate the GOC to carry out maintenance of Vande Bharat coaches and create the necessary infrastructure, which was until now available only in Perambur, Chennai. 'This is an important development and I eagerly await the day when the move will come to fruition,' he said.
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