The Hindu Business Line : Railways to increase coach production capacity

Indian Railways plans to increase the production capacity of its coach manufacturing units at Kapurthala and Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 111 crore.

Works have been sanctioned to increase the production capacities to manufacture 1,500 coaches per year at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, and 1,400 coaches per year at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, from the present installed capacities of 1,000 coaches per year, Mr R. Velu, the Union Minister of State for Railways, said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The cost of enhancement of coach production capacity at RCF is Rs 55.42 crore and at ICF is Rs 55.31 crore, he said, adding that the production capacity is expected to increase by 2009-10.

The issue of increase of production capacities of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is under examination, he added. At present, CLW has a capacity to manufacture 150 electric locomotives per annum, while Varanasi-based DLW can manufacture 150 diesel locomotives per annum. The Bangalore-based Rail Wheel Factory can manufacture 1.15 lakh wheels and 48,000 axles. The Diesel Modernisation Loco Works (DMW), Patiala, can rebuild 72 diesel and electric locos every year.