The Covid-19 pandemic will reduce the coach production at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) — Indian Railways’ coach manufacturing unit — by nearly 50 per cent during 2020-21 as compared to the previous year.

However, with production in full swing from December after lockdown restrictions were relaxed in phases, the target could be increased by 20-25 per cent, said sources in ICF.

The target for production in 2020-2021 is 2,045 coaches as against the production of 4,166 in 2019-2020. For the nine months ending December, 2020, the production was been recorded at 1,427 coaches.

In 2019-2020, the target was 4,238 coaches but the production was down to 4,166 as the lockdown in February-end affected the production.

“We have asked 100 per cent workers to attend duty. There is absenteeism of up to 5 per cent, which is as usual. Since there was a gap due to lockdown,we are now trying to push up production. That’s why we are expecting the production target for 2020-2021 to be revised upwards,” said sources.

“As the lockdown restrictions were relaxed in phases, coach manufacturing excelled in its performance in multiple areas during the month of December, 2020. ICF has turned out nine rakes of the three phase Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains in December. This was the highest ever outturn of MEMU rakes in a month by any production unit of Indian Railways,” said sources.

Vistadome tourist coach

The ICF’s new design Vistadome tourist coach successfully completed 180 km/h oscillation trials in December. The ‘Squeeze’ tests of the above coach were completed the same month. The Vistadome tourist coach is provided with a larger viewing area, including roof top glasses with 44 seats for passengers with rotation up to 180° to face the direction of train movement. The coach is also having Wi-Fi based passenger information system, says a press release from ICF.

In December, 2020 ICF played a major role by assisting fabrication of the first coach integrated shell body at the recently set up Marathwada Rail coach factory at Latur to mark the factory’s commissioning. The integration of the coach body shell has been achieved in record eight days.

“All these achievements by ICF during December with the lowest number of working days - 21 days - due to factory holidays for maintenance of plant and machinery,” sources said.

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