SR sends mega plan to Rly Board for GOC mod

Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Dec 9: The Southern Railway (SR) authorities have sent a mega proposal to the Railway Board for the modernisation of the Central Railway Workshops at Goldenrock (GOC) at an outlay of Rs 173 crore.

Talking to mediapeersons here, Chief Workshops Engineer (CWE) SR D K Saraf said the 77-year-old GOC was awaiting clearance from the Railway Ministry for the modernisation programme. The two-year project, as furnished in the proposal submitted, would include expansion of the working floor, shops and bays at GOC, provision of about five additional working bays and replacement equipments. It would also include installation of a full-fledged Training Center and R and D Laboratory.

Mr Saraf said after completing the modernisation project, GOC would be able to enhance the capacity of Periodic Overhauling (POH) to locos from the present number of 120 to 160 per annum. Similarly, the capacity to executive POH to AC passenger coaches would increase from 120 to 500 units per annum.

He said the three Railway Workshops located in SR, namely GOC, Perambur Loco Works (PLW) and Perambur Carriage Works (PCW) were all poised to hit up at larger activities. These three workshops in his jurisdiction were on the anvil of enhancing its production capability and outputs in the forthcoming years, he added.

Briefing the various plans, he said the PLW, established in the year 1932, had now specialised in POHs of both AC and non-AC diesel locomotives.

The PLW would be manufacturing Elastic Rail Clips (ERC) numbering about 3.5 lakh pieces in the current year.

Mr Saraf said the notable assignment taken up by the PLW was the reconditioning or refurbishment of age-old steam locos working across the Indian tracks.

Consequent to the success, the Railway Board had entrusted the task of regular revival of the old heritage steam locos with due refurbishment to the PLW.

The Perambur unit would also be commencing manufacture of bogie frames meant for AC locos. A proposal in this connection had been forwarded to the Railway Ministry for clearance, he added.

He said the PCW would take up some modifications in the coaches that would include provision of modular-type toilets, fixation of Center Buffer Couplers (CBC) instead of the erstwhile screw coupling devices. Currently, the Perambur Carriage Works could install modular toilets in forty passenger coaches per annum and the same would be enhanced in the coming years.

UNI