The Corona crisis: Indian Railways Aluminium body coaches roll-out gets delayed

The plan for rolling out the first batch of aluminium coaches of Indian Railways suffers delay due to the Covid-19 outbreak causing obstruct in production.

The lightweight aluminium coaches will position Indian Railways with the benefit of running trains to speed up to 160 kmph, reduce energy consumption and give a more pleasant ride.

The nation’s Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh has awarded the contract for aluminium body coaches to Dawonsys, a South Korean firm, leading a new paradigm in the railway sector. The INR 128 crore contract includes Transfer of Technology (ToT) for aluminium body coaches, an elemental for Indian Railways which currently makes coaches with stainless steel.

In terms of exterior, interior, safety and comfort, the upcoming aluminium coaches are anticipated to be par excellence to Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express trains. The Railway Board has already approved the production of 500 aluminium body coaches once MCF develops the infrastructure as part of the ToT.

As per MCF official: "COVID has delayed delivery timelines for the contract. We are coordinating with the South Korean firm, but it may take some time for the coaches to be ready.”

The contract incorporates production of both locomotive-hauled broad-gauge coaches and standard gauge metro coaches. It also has the provision for the design of self-propelled coaches with an ability to speed at 225 kilometres per hour.

This will permit the Indian Railways to assemble aluminium-bodied train sets with AC Chair Car and Executive Chair car coaches that will run at higher speeds once tracks and other railway infrastructure develops.