Railways to get Aluminium coaches by February next year; Here’s why there are better

In major infrastructure and technology revamp mode, Indian Railways is planning to add several Aluminium coaches by February next year. The Madras Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli, is already looking to manufacture Aluminium coaches for the trains.

The first set produced will consist of three Aluminium coaches. These will be hinged to Kolkata Metro by February 2021. MCF signed a deal with a South Korean firm Dawonsys, worth Rs 128 crore, to accomplish the feat. However, manufacturing got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent TOI report.

The coaches will be designed and manufactured in South Korea and will be exported to India, where the assembling will be executed, the national daily report added. The design for the metro coaches will likely be finalised by the end of this month.

A railway official was quoted in the report saying, “The South Korean firm will share the designs and once MCF approves they will be made in South Korea and brought in India in knocked down condition”. To begin with, “Dawonsys will manufacture these coaches in South Korea and slowly the transfer of technology will take place to MCF,” the official added.

The deal struck between the two firms also includes three AC-3 Tier Sleeper, two AC-2 Tier Sleeper, one AC-1 Sleeper, one AC Hot Buffet Car, and one AC DSLR with Drive/Guard cabin. The above-mentioned broad-gauge locomotive-hauled sleeper coaches will be able to attain 160kmph; however, designs for self-propelled coaches with the top speed of 225kmph will also be provided by the South Korean firm.

For the unversed, Railways currently have coaches made of stainless steel. The designs for self-propelled aluminium coaches with speeds of up to 225 kmph will help MCF manufacture Shatabdi-style aluminium coaches.