The Indian Railways is gradually shifting from Corten steel to lighter materials- most preferably stainless steel and aluminium, for making coaches, said sources close to the ministry of railways. A specification for aluminium body coaches has already been developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organization.
According to experts, aluminium and stainless steel have more strength yet are way lighter in weight than Corten steel. So, these materials can be ideally used to build low-weight coaches.
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“Ultimately the railways has to design coaches keeping in mind the dynamics of a moving train. The design of the coaches must be made for safer conditions. If facilities are not augmented to maintain the large fleet, probability of accidents will increase,” said Sudhir Badami, a transportation analyst and member of Research and MIS Committee of Unified Mumbai Metropolitan Transport Authority.
The national carrier has been using Corten steel to manufacture railway coaches at its Integral Coach Factory (ICF). The move to shift towards a lighter material is expected to improve the speed and carrying capacity of the trains while reducing the risk of accidents to a significant extent. The heavier the material of the coaches the higher is the possibility of casualty. So, this decision is expected to change things for the better as far as safety is concerned.
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According to a press release issued by the ministry of railways on the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Indian Railways has exceeded its target for commissioning new railway lines by 313km in the the previous financial year. The national carrier has also achieved commissioning of 813km of new lines compared with a target of 500km.
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