Latest news with #IntegralCoachFactory
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Chennai to get second AC EMU by October
Chennai: Amid complaints over poor service, high cost, and delays, Chennai's second AC EMU—built at Integral Coach Factory—will be ready in two months and is likely to be launched by October after safety clearances and test runs. When asked if design changes were made after the rake scraped platforms at Pallavaram and Chromepet last month, ICF officials clarified that their coaches follow standard national dimensions, and any mismatch at a few stations should be corrected by Southern Railway. Meanwhile, ICF is also building two non-AC EMU train sets fitted with automatic doors—a feature introduced after a recent Mumbai suburban accident killed four passengers hanging from footboards. Though built in Chennai, these rakes are likely to be allotted to Central Railway, where demand and crowding remain highest. The auto-door mechanism won't allow doors to close unless all passengers board fully, eliminating the common risk of commuters clinging onto doors. The loco pilot will control door operation, and sensors will block movement if anyone hangs out. ICF officials said this model will be tested in Mumbai and extended to other cities like Chennai based on commuter response. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 안구건조 걱정 없이 안전하게! 강남아이원스안과 지금 신청하기 Undo You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai On the Vande Bharat sleeper front, the first rake is currently stationed at New Delhi, where ICF engineers are making minor modifications based on Railway Safety Commissioner feedback. The second rake is expected by August 15, and a third by mid-September. Visiting ICF on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna said, "The Make in India push has made ICF a global rail coach hub. From 3,700 coaches last year, production will touch 4,200 this year." He also inspected the Chennai–Arakkonam–Kanchipuram rail section on Thursday and said the govt will examine building a new railway station near the upcoming Parandur airport. ICF's production calendar for 2025–26 includes 4,356 coaches, including 88 Vande Bharat chair car rakes, 3 Vande Bharat sleepers by September, 8 AC EMUs, and 2 auto-door non-AC EMUs by December.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Amrit Bharat Express rake remains unused for 4 months
Chennai: Several railway zones have rolled out Amrit Bharat Express trains on high-demand routes, but the rake allotted to has remained unutilized since Feb when it was handed over by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Official documents accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act confirm that the fully assembled superfast push-pull rake — designed for long-distance, non-AC travel — was allotted to Southern Railway as the first rake built at ICF. Since Feb, it has remained idle, reportedly stabled at locations within the zone such as Thiruvottiyur or Naidupeta, with no route finalized and no operational surveys completed. Amrit Bharat Express services, already running on the Darbhanga-Delhi, Malda-Bengaluru and Mumbai-Saharsa routes, are designed to ease crowding on popular long-distance trains. Each train has 22 coaches, with the composition modified after parliamentary feedback to include more unreserved coaches. So far, 10 rakes have been produced — eight at ICF and two at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala — with allocations made to zones including northern, north central, eastern, eastern central, and central railway. There is no clarity from Southern Railway on what plans it has. Popular trains such as Coromandel Express and Howrah Mail are running packed, especially with heavy migrant worker traffic. Amrit Bharat, envisioned as a more accessible alternative to Vande Bharat with non-AC coaches and quicker turnaround, could have eased the load on these overcrowded trains, say rail users. Railway activist Dayanand Krishnan, who filed the RTI to bring the issue to light, said, "Instead of wasting the rake on a low-speed long route, it can be deployed on Tambaram–Tenkasi, where demand is high. The engines can run at 130kmph and two services a day are possible." After a video surfaced recently showing the Amrit Bharat rake with Southern Railway markings travelling towards New Delhi, TOI contacted Southern Railway general manager R N Singh. He did not respond to queries.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- 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
19-06-2025
- 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
18-06-2025
- 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.
