Indian Railways’ plan to roll out first aluminium coaches hits a COVID speed breaker
The wait for lightweight aluminium coaches that will give Indian Railways the advantage of running trains to speeds of 160 kmph and more, cut energy consumption and give a more comfortable ride is set to get longer.
Its plans to roll out its first batch of aluminium body train coaches have suffered a setback with COVID-19 pandemic delaying production. The national transporter’s Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Rae Bareli has awarded the contract for aluminium body coaches to Dawonsys, a South Korean firm. The Rs 128 crore contract involves Transfer of Technology (ToT) for aluminium body coaches, a first for Indian Railways which currently makes stainless steel trains.
The new coaches are likely to be superior to Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express trains in terms of exterior, comfort, interiors and safety. The Railway Board has already approved the production of 500 aluminium body coaches once MCF develops the infrastructure as part of the ToT.
