Golden Rock Workshop set to service high-speed locos

Tiruchirapalli, Apr 4 (UNI) The Central Workshop of the Indian Railways at Golden Rock (GOC) here will be upgraded for providing maintenance and overhaul facilities to high speed General Motors (GM) diesel locomotives.

The Union Railway Ministry had sanctioned Rs 16 crore to establish the additional facilities as part of the upgradation programme at the workshop, Chief Workshop Manager S Rangarajan told UNI here this morning.

The facilities will include creating additional space to stock spares and testing systems and installation of bays to park the 4000 HP engines which are four metre longer than conventional locomotives.

The new breed of locomotives which were initially imported from General Motors, were now manufactured at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi.

Indian Railways' current fleet of 100 GM locomotives was set for increase in the future. Technicians from GOC will be sent to DLW for an orientation programme.

The GOC will soon get the coveted ISO14000 certification and the process of putting in place the support systems for the getting the accreditation was in final stages, Mr Rangarajan said.

The official said GOC will be delivering three numbers of B-Class Oil Fired Steam Locomotives for Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR)-- a world heritage facility as declared by the UNESCO.

Each locomotive cost Rs 1.5 crore and in a few months time, the GOC engines will haul tourists on the Himalayan Mountains.

The Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) has placed bulk orders for supply of low container flat wagons under which the GOC will despatch 22 rakes before the end of next year. It has also received letters of intent for 1,125 wagons.

The workshop had also bagged export orders through Rail India Technical and Economical Services (RITES) for modification work of used meter gauge (MG) diesel locomotives to the typical requirement of foreign railways.

It will deliver five such engines to Mozambique before the month end and an equal number to Senegal in the next year, he added.

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