indo-asian news service
New Delhi, Dec 25: In a first, the Railways will soon roll out 15 aluminium-bodied trainsets — called Train-20 — on its prestigious Rajdhani routes that will run faster and boast of improved passenger comfort.
The aluminium trainsets — or trains like the Metro or EMUs that do not have locomotives hauling them — will not only be lightweight and energy-efficient, they will run at 160 kmph and have an automatic door system. They will have both seating and sleeper berths.
The aluminium trainsets, estimated to cost Rs2,500 crore, will start rolling out of the Railways’ Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) near Chennai by 2020.
“A global tender has been floated inviting bids from leading international coach manufacturers for design, development, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of aluminium car body trainsets. Bids are expected to be opened next year for necessary action,” a senior ICF official said.
Under the bidding conditions, the first trainset of 20 coaches is to be manufactured — complete in all respects — at the successful bidder’s premises and dispatched to the ICF.
From the second trainset onwards, the successful bidder will supply the components, electrics, furnishing and material, among other things, to the ICF. The assembly of the trainset car body, bogie, painting and furnishing will be carried out at ICF.
There is an option to manufacture up to 10 trainsets in the successful bidder’s premises and ship them to ICF. However, the last four trainsets and spare coaches will be assembled entirely at ICF.
Covered space with a crane facility for manufacturing and storage space for material will be provided by ICF, as per the bid conditions.
A trainset is a set of coaches coupled mechanically and electrically with driving cabins at both ends and distributed traction power across the train. The acceleration and deceleration is faster in a trainset compared with trains hauled by locomotives.
ICF expects leading global coach manufacturers to participate in the tender as, apart from the approximately 291 coaches on offer at present, the scope is so defined that the successful bidder will build a long-term relationship with the production unit.
