If you come across home-like ambience along with music and modular toilet having a big mirror in a general or sleeper coach of a train by next year, don't get surprised. The coach rehabilitation workshop (CRWS), Bhopal is working on railway board's Rs-31 crore pilot project-model rakes-- to turn old in-use coaches into almost new gleaming one of international standards. The coaches, set to get a makeover, are the ones which have completed half life.
"We will come out with world class coaches providing passenger-friendly amenities by February next year. By June, we will have 22 such coaches ready for train," West Central Railway CRWS manager Lakshmi Raman told TOI.
Design of coaches was decided after railway officials studied rail system and coaches of European nations like Germany and Italy. The fact special thing about cars is they have no screws, he said.
"Screw-less modular (fibre reinforced plastic ( FRP) polycarbonate walls and panels will provide aesthetics and comfort to passengers. It is also going to give wall like feeling with anti-graffiti to passengers," he added.
"Of course, the sturdy wall panels will be a soothing sight for eyes," Raman said. "Care is taken to make seats and berths comfortable and reduce fatigue during the journey," he added.
"The cars will have superior flooring with superior anti-skid properties, smaller and quieter fans to create noiseless environment, individual bucket-type seat, one piece side lower berth in place of two-piece existing berths," the WRWS manager said. Besides, the coaches will have information cum entertainment ( INFOTAINMEN) screen with LED, he said.
CRWS Bhopal, he said, is engaged in midlife rehabilitation (MLR) of coaches after bogies complete 12 years of service. A life of a coach is around 25 years and after 12 years of use, rail car comes to CRWS for refurbishment work. "We give a new life to coach after thorough overhaul including a fresh coat of paint," he added.
Raman said under the pilot project, 111 coaches with classy looks, including passenger's safety features would chug out. He said expenditure on an AC coaches and other type car works out to around Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively right now. "Coaches will offer better travelling experience to passengers like Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains," he said.
"We will come out with world class coaches providing passenger-friendly amenities by February next year. By June, we will have 22 such coaches ready for train," West Central Railway CRWS manager Lakshmi Raman told TOI.
Design of coaches was decided after railway officials studied rail system and coaches of European nations like Germany and Italy. The fact special thing about cars is they have no screws, he said.
"Screw-less modular (fibre reinforced plastic ( FRP) polycarbonate walls and panels will provide aesthetics and comfort to passengers. It is also going to give wall like feeling with anti-graffiti to passengers," he added.
"Of course, the sturdy wall panels will be a soothing sight for eyes," Raman said. "Care is taken to make seats and berths comfortable and reduce fatigue during the journey," he added.
"The cars will have superior flooring with superior anti-skid properties, smaller and quieter fans to create noiseless environment, individual bucket-type seat, one piece side lower berth in place of two-piece existing berths," the WRWS manager said. Besides, the coaches will have information cum entertainment ( INFOTAINMEN) screen with LED, he said.
CRWS Bhopal, he said, is engaged in midlife rehabilitation (MLR) of coaches after bogies complete 12 years of service. A life of a coach is around 25 years and after 12 years of use, rail car comes to CRWS for refurbishment work. "We give a new life to coach after thorough overhaul including a fresh coat of paint," he added.
Raman said under the pilot project, 111 coaches with classy looks, including passenger's safety features would chug out. He said expenditure on an AC coaches and other type car works out to around Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively right now. "Coaches will offer better travelling experience to passengers like Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains," he said.
