Building better: Inside the Vande Bharat manufacturing facility at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), in Chennai | R.G. Sasthaa
Making india proud: Vande Bharat coaches at different stages of production at the Integral Coach Factory | R.G. Sasthaa
Making india proud: Vande Bharat coaches at different stages of production at the Integral Coach Factory | R.G. Sasthaa
Making india proud: Vande Bharat coaches at different stages of production at the Integral Coach Factory | R.G. Sasthaa
Making india proud: Vande Bharat coaches at different stages of production at the Integral Coach Factory | R.G. Sasthaa
Making india proud: Vande Bharat coaches at different stages of production at the Integral Coach Factory | R.G. Sasthaa
Clang! The sound of metal striking metal welcomes one to the Integral Coach Factory in north Chennai’s Perambur. Large pieces of steel and metal plates are spread on the factory floor. As you walk down a green epoxy pathway, taking in the huge cranes on either side, men and women in dark blue uniforms walk past you with rods and wires in their hands. Some of their colleagues are carrying steel sheets, others are operating the cranes, which are moving heavy frames to an assembly point.
Sparks fly as women wearing protective helmets wield welding torches. Adjacent to the assembly unit, at the furnishing unit, men are lying under the chassis, tightening bolts, laying wires, fixing rubber beading on doors and windows. A team of young men are installing the propulsion system’s controls in loco pilot’s cabin.
The ICF, which makes coaches for Vande Bharat Express trains, has a full schedule this fiscal. It is aiming to roll out 600 Vande Bharat coaches before March 31, 2024, and manufactures 16 to 18 train sets (units of eight or 16 coaches) a month. “ICF is best suited for the manufacture of VB coaches as we have expertise in a variety of coaches, especially air-conditioned coaches,” ICF general manager B.G. Mallya told THE WEEK. “We also have expertise in self-propellant coaches.”
Within the factory, there is a separate facility with more than 800 employees for the manufacture of specialty train coaches. It has a dedicated assembly and furnishing division. Mallya said this saves a lot of time, particularly during furnishing. Contract workers from ICF’s vendors work on propulsion, brakes and pre-fabrication. There are more than 200 vendors, including the firms which supply the smaller items. “Around 80 to 90 per cent of VB trains are indigenous,” said Mallya. “Items like the forged wheels are imported. The forged wheels [were being] imported from Ukraine and China. But, as a result of the war in Ukraine, they are [now also] being made at the Durgapur Steel Plant. But, manufacturing is a bit slow because of constraints at the plant.”
The Vande Bharat trains are a cause of much enthusiasm among railway travellers in India. Introduced as Train 18 in 2018 and renamed Vande Bharat Express ahead of its first service the following February, they are the first semi-high speed trains in India. They can reduce journey time by 25 per cent to 45 per cent and have aeroplane-style passenger amenities. The maximum speed has been set at 160kmph, but tracks have to be upgraded to allow them to reach that speed. So, for now, they mostly run at up to 130kmph.
“A train set has four basic units,” said Mallya. “A basic unit is independent; [capable] of moving on its own power. Like a locomotive with space for 300 passengers. VB trains don’t require locomotives as power is distributed among the coaches and each unit acts as a locomotive. Even if one unit fails the train continues to run without any technical glitch.”
To allow higher acceleration, the trains have motors fitted in every second coach. An eight-coach train set needs 7,000kw of power. All this means that the trains accelerate and decelerate faster. They also have an intelligent braking system, which uses a mix of electric braking and pneumatic braking (air/gas braking). And, during braking, the system generates electrical power from the energy and momentum of the fast-moving trains and feeds it back into the supply. Called regenerative braking, this process aids energy efficiency.
New horizons: A Vande Bharat train passing through the Moidu bridge in Kannur, Kerala | Dhanesh T.P.
Concept train-Vande Bharat sleeper version shared by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. ICF general manager B.G. Mallya said the sleeper coaches would be launched before the end of this financial year | X@ashwinivaishnaw
B.G. Mallya | R.G. Sasthaa
The furnishing division of ICF works on the top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art safety features. The seat cushions are more comfortable than those in AC chair cars in conventional trains. The seats recline 19.37 degrees; better than the average aeroplane seat. Every seat has a mobile charging point, snack table, footrests, bottle holders and newspaper/magazine bags. The air conditioning has improved energy efficiency and there is a special mechanism for neutralising germs. The windows have fabric-based roller blinds. The lights in the luggage racks have been upgraded from resistive touch to capacitive touch (more accurate touch sensors for ease-of-use). The toilets are bio-vacuum, like in aeroplanes.
Safety has been given the utmost priority in these trains. There is an aerosol-based fire detection and suppression system and CCTV surveillance inside and outside the train, including four cameras to monitor stone-pelters. The trains are also equipped with the Kavach (armour) train collision avoidance system. It includes features to aid the loco pilot when visibility is low and even automatic braking if the loco pilot fails to act in time.
Additionally, the passage connecting coaches is stable and wide, unlike the partially open and shaky passages in conventional trains. Overall, the design of coaches is such that when the train runs at high speeds, it will be like sitting in your home, said Mallya. There are 25 Vande Bharat trains running across India and that number will be close to 100 in the next one year. The cost of manufacturing a 16-coach Vande Bharat train is about Rs120 crore.
Mallya said the ICF was working on new variants of Vande Bharat coaches. “We are working on sleeper class, short-distance commute travel and non-AC train set during this fiscal,” he said. “We are also planning to launch two push-pull trains with non-AC LHB coaches (Linke Hofmann Busch are German-made passenger coaches which have been in use since 2000). These will provide the same experience as the VB trains.” They will have a seating capacity of 1,834 passengers and will be economical.
Mallya said the sleeper coaches are on schedule and will be launched before the end of this financial year. “[They] will have 11 AC three-tier coaches, four 2-tier coaches and one first-class AC coach,” he said. “The ambience will be much different from the existing trains. The lights will be warm and even the ladder to climb to the upper berth will be of a different standard. The sleeper will [eventually] be able to substitute the existing trains.”