Old broad gauge passenger coaches that have completed codal life are being converted into New Modified Goods (NMG) carriers for transportation of cars and other automobiles at Golden Rock Railway Workshop in Tiruchi.
The workshop has taken up the task following approval from the Railway Board, New Delhi, which allotted the old coaches for modification into NMG automobile carriers.
Of the 40 coaches allotted in the current financial year, it has so far modified 10 and they were dispatched from its premises on Monday.
Workshop authorities say the seats and berths of the old coaches have been removed and corrosion repairs carried out as part of conversion works. Perforated flooring has been done along with other modifications to make them suitable for transporting automobiles such as cars and tractors.
The workshop has planned to convert the remaining coaches before the end of the current fiscal. “A host of modifications were carried out in the coaches by a technical team of the workshop to convert them into NMG carriers exclusively to transport cars, tractors and other automobiles in bulk.” said Chief Workshop Manager Shyamadhar Ram.
Passenger coaches that have completed the prescribed life span have been sent to the workshop for conversion and the average cost of conversion of each coach is around ₹8.3 lakh. Post-conversion, the coaches will be sent to different destinations by Southern Railway for transportation of different types of automobiles.
The workshop began to receive old coaches in large numbers in the last three years. Since 2017, it has converted 150 coaches into NMG carriers, Mr. Ram added.
