News Brief
Sonipat Rail Workshop To Refurbish 250 LHB Coaches A Year
Arun Kumar Das
May 06, 2021, 02:35 PM | Updated 02:35 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Giving a new lease of life to more than a decade-old worn out LHB coaches, a new rail workshop is coming up fast at Sonipat in Haryana at an estimated cost of Rs 580 crore.
The Rail Coach Naveenikaran Karkhana, the first such unit for mid-life rehabilitation of LHB coaches in India, is expected to begin the exercise of refurbishing 12 to 14-year-old LHB coaches from July this year as the work is going on full speed for making it operational.
Refurbishing work entails redoing the entire coach including complete interior, panelling, roof top, AC and other electrical fittings, replacement of seats among others.
The shelf life of a LHB coach is about 30 years.
The refurbishing exercise also includes extensive body repairs, bogie repairs, wheel overhauling, painting, water tank repairs are done on these coaches.
The aim of the refurbishing is to give a complete new look to the coach in which barring the shell almost everything is replaced, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project.
While the Railways has a huge fleet of 70,000 coaches out of which the LHB are about 22,000.
Trains and coaches will become swankier, cleaner with these steps, said the official.
To begin with, the Sonipat unit will roll out 250 refurbished LHB coaches a year which will gradually increase to 300-400 a year.
From periodic maintenance to mid-life rehabilitation, there have been several steps taken and various projects launched in order to give an essential infrastructural boost to the trains on the network and the railway stations.
In its endeavour to provide passenger safety and convenience, the railways is taking several new steps.
According to the railways, the repair and improvement of passenger coaches is a continuous process.
From periodic maintenance to mid-life rehabilitation, there have been several steps taken and various projects launched in order to give an essential infrastructural boost to the trains on the network and the railway stations.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Arun Kumar Das is a senior journalist covering railways. He can be contacted at akdas2005@gmail.com.
Introducing ElectionsHQ + 50 Ground Reports Project
The 2024 elections might seem easy to guess, but there are some important questions that shouldn't be missed.
Do freebies still sway voters? Do people prioritise infrastructure when voting? How will Punjab vote?
The answers to these questions provide great insights into where we, as a country, are headed in the years to come.
Swarajya is starting a project with an aim to do 50 solid ground stories and a smart commentary service on WhatsApp, a one-of-a-kind. We'd love your support during this election season.
Click below to contribute.