Latest news with #IntegralCoachFactory
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Hundreds of ICF-made coaches running in special trains to be withdrawn
Hundreds of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) designed coaches running in special trains operated across the railway network will be withdrawn and condemned. According to railway sources, a majority of these coaches were earlier used for operating 62 Garib Rath Express trains on various routes. LHB rakes The production of ICF-designed coaches for Garib Rath trains was stopped last year and replaced with Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) air-conditioned economy rakes. The old coaches were used to run special trains. However, several complaints were received from senior officials in different Zonal Railways about multiple maintenance issues, including electrical and mechanical problems, and non-availability of spare parts. With increasing number of complaints from the travelling public and railway officials in the recent months, the Railway Board has directed that erstwhile ICF-designed Garib Rath Express coaches be withdrawn from passenger service with immediate effect, the sources said. Read more:Old coaches turn death traps 'Zonal Railways have reported a number of issues in maintenance of electrical and mechanical sub-assemblies of ICF Garib Rath coaches, which include overdue mid-life rehabilitation and difficulty in procurement of spares. It has been decided to discontinue these coaches from passenger service,' a railway official said. About 900 coaches were expected to be withdrawn. Though a policy decision was taken to replace all ICF-designed coaches, most of which are at least 20-years old, hundreds of trains were being operated with the old rakes. In Southern Railway alone, 154 rakes comprising the ICF-designed coaches were still in passenger service on several routes and officials had planned to replace them with LHB rakes by 2028, the sources said.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Beat the Heat for rupees 29: Eastern Railway to Launch Budget Air-Conditioned Suburban Train Service
(Written by Debasmita Chowdhury) The Eastern Railway zone is running trials for air-conditioned suburban train services which officials said will be offered at significantly low fares. It has received its first AC EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) train manufactured at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, which has been deployed to the Sealdah Division for testing and trial runs. A second AC EMU rake is expected to arrive shortly at the Eastern Railway Jurisdiction. Officials say that the inaugural service, which is to be operated on the Sealdah-Ranaghat route once the trials are concluded, will offer competitive fares of Rs 29 for journeys up to 10 km and Rs 37 for distances of 11-15 km. Monthly season tickets are priced at Rs 590 and Rs 780 respectively. Dr Uday Shankar Jha, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Eastern Railway, said, 'It is a matter of great pride that the eastern part of the country, Eastern Railway, is taking the lead to introduce ACAMU services.' He stated that the air-conditioned coaches would provide relief from 'extreme heat, extreme rush, and so many other related discomforts' that suburban passengers currently face. Jha also said, 'Initially, it is believed that AC travel will be very costly, but Indian Railways has introduced a fair scheme which is much more competitive and in comparison to roadways, it is almost 10 times cheaper'. The 12-coach trains will feature stainless steel construction with end-to-end connectivity through sealed vestibule gangways, allowing free movement between compartments. Each coach has four electrically operated sliding doors per side controlled by drivers, three-seater stainless steel seats, and enhanced air circulation systems for approximately 1,100 passengers. Additional amenities include CCTV surveillance, wear-resistant rubber flooring, aluminium extruded modular luggage racks, GPS-based passenger information displays, and large double-sealed windows to enhance the comfort of the passengers. 'Passengers will be able to commute from their home to their office in a pleasant condition and even carry out office work during travel due to better seating and air circulation, hence getting a double benefit,' said Jha. Eastern Railway officials indicate that the service will meet growing suburban passenger demands while modernising rail travel in the Kolkata metropolitan area at a very affordable price. Commercial operations will begin after completion of the current testing and trial runs.
India.com
3 days ago
- Automotive
- India.com
Eastern Railway Announces Introduction Of AC Suburban Services At Affordable Cost
To fulfil the growing requirements of suburban passengers, Eastern Railway is preparing to run Air Conditioned Electric Multiple Unit (AC EMU) locals soon, Eastern Railway said in a press release. One such AC EMU train constructed in the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, has already arrived in the Eastern Railway and has been sent to Sealdah Division for testing & trial run. Another AC EMU rake will also shortly arrive in the Eastern Railway jurisdiction. On the basis of the present utilisation pattern, it has been decided that the new AC EMU train that is sent to Sealdah Division will run on the Sealdah - Ranaghat route. The Indian Railways has rationalised the fare of AC EMU Suburban train services to bring it to the affordable limit of the commuters. The single journey suburban base fare of AC EMU trains will be only Rs 29 for a journey upto 10 km & base fare of Rs 37 for journey distance between 11 km to 15 km, and so on. Charges for corresponding monthly season ticket (MST) will be Rs 590 and Rs 780, respectively, and so on. The salient technical features of these AC EMU rakes are as follows: "All the coaches of these trains will be fully Air-Conditioned. The coaches are made of Stainless steel bodies with straight side walls. All the 12 coaches of the rake are end-to-end connected by sealed wider vestibule gangways. The coaches have been provided with better air circulation inside the coaches to give the feeling of freshness. It has more standing space and includes a vestibule area. Passengers can also travel inside the train from one coach to another easily through vestibules," the press release said. All the AC EMU coaches have 04 electrically operated double-leaf automatic sliding doors on each side. The coaches have wide and large double-sealed glass windows providing a panoramic view. 3 seater stainless steel seats are provided in all the coaches. The total seating capacity of the rake is approximately 1100. All the coaches are covered by CCTV surveillance. Wear-resistant rubber floor top, Aluminium extruded modular luggage rack & GPS-based LED displays for passenger information and announcement system are provided in each coach of the rake to enhance passenger amenity and comfort. The doors of the train will open only after arriving at stations and will close before departing from the stations and remain closed while on run for safety reasons. The control of the door will remain with the Driver/Guard, who will operate the doors of the train compartments. The new AC EMU trains, which arrive in the Sealdah Division, will surely satisfy the expectations of the passengers and initiate a new era of a cosy journey experience at a very affordable price.
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Indian Railways news: Vande Bharat sleeper trains to be made by 3 companies, they are...
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train (Image: X) Update of Vande Bharat sleeper trains: In a significant development for Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, it has been reported that the upcoming Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will be made by three companies. Designed to offer high-speed comfort for long-distance overnight journeys, the trains are a delight for commuters due to the pocket friendly nature. Readers must note that unlike the existing Vande Bharat chair car models, these new Vande Bharat sleeper trains will feature sleeper berths and enhanced passenger amenities. Here are all the details you need to know about the manufacturing of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. Update of Vande Bharat sleeper trains As per media reports, the manufacturing is being led by a consortium of Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF), in collaboration with private players like BEML and Titagarh Rail Systems, with design and technology support from foreign firms such as Russian giant TMH (Transmashholding). These sleeper variants are expected to start trials soon and will play a pivotal role in modernizing India's rail infrastructure. The manufacturing of these modern trains has been entrusted to three big companies, which include BEML, Kinect Railway Solutions Limited and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited-BHEL Consortium. In total, these companies will manufacture 210 train sets. Vande Bharat sleeper train achieves peak speed of 180 km per hr during trials In a significant development for the Vande Bharat sleeper trains, the government said that Vande Bharat sleeper train has achieved a peak speed of 180 km per hour in its multiple trials in the last three days. The trials will continue till this month-end, before this world-class travel for long-distance travel is made available to rail commuters across the nation, the Ministry of Railways said. Vande Bharat sleeper train The video shows a full glass of water adjacent to a mobile on a plain surface inside a Vande Bharat sleeper train. The static water level can be seen in the video as the train achieves near constant peak speed of 180 km per hour. The post came after 3 days of successful trials, which concluded on January 2, in which a Vande Bharat sleeper train in its loaded condition touched the peak speed, according to the ministry. (With inputs from agencies)
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
After Mumbai tragedy, ICF to roll out two non-AC EMUs with auto doors by November
CHENNAI: After remaining only on paper for two decades due to ventilation concerns, Indian Railways has finally decided to study the implementation of automatic doors in non-AC local trains. The move comes close on the heels of the tragic incident in Mumbai on Monday in which six commuters from suburban trains were killed. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), which is working on rolling out two non-AC Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains with automatic doors for deployment in Mumbai, will adopt roof-mounted ventilation and louvered doors to overcome the ventilation problem. Officials said if the initiative proves successful, the railways may scale up production of these rakes in the coming years and introduce them in Chennai's suburban network as well. The demand for automatic doors in suburban trains is repeatedly raised whenever passenger fatality occurs in the Mumbai or Chennai suburban network due to overcrowding and footboard travel, but it has never gained traction. For over two decades, a section of railway engineers had consistently dismissed these proposals, citing concerns over passenger discomfort and potential risks of suffocation due to inadequate airflow in densely packed coaches, said sources. In July 2018, in two different incidents, seven passengers who travelled hanging on the footboards of local trains on the Chennai-Tambaram route were killed after striking a concrete wall at the St Thomas Mount station. Following an investigation, the then commissioner of Railway Safety dismissed the possibility of installing automatic doors in non-AC local trains, citing concerns over inadequate air circulation.
