Integral Coach Factory surpassed its production target this year too. Against the target of of 2,464 coaches set by the Railway Board, ICF manufactured 2,503 coaches.
The 2,500th coach made of stainless steel was flagged off in the presence of S. Mani, ICF general manager, here on Saturday. The non-AC day coach will have a seating capacity of 102 and has been made with technology from Linke-Hoffman Busch, Germany.
According to ICF officials, the highest monthly turnout so far this year was 418 coaches. “On an average, it takes up to 20 days for a coach to be made and some parts are manufactured simultaneously. These coaches have a life of 40 years and are less prone to corrosion. The 2,500th coach would be provided to the South Eastern Railway,” an official said.
Listing the various types of coaches being produced at ICF, an official said that besides electric multiple units for Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, Diesel Electric Multiple Unit coaches, including for the Kolkata Metro, are being manufactured here.
Ambitious plans
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Mani said there were plans to increase production to 3,230 coaches next fiscal. ICF will also export diesel multiple units coaches to Sri Lanka soon. “We also plan to acquire technology from Europe and Germany to manufacture coaches with aluminium body which would be rolled out by 2020 and called Train 20,” he said.
Train 18 would be the next pathbreaking stainless steel product with a speed of 160km per hour and equipped with world class amenities, he said.
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