During the sunrise years of the Railway in India, all locomotives and most rolling stock, rails, equipment and machines had to be imported from manufactures in Britain and Europe.
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- This was a time consuming factor causing trains in the extension of Railways and severely hampering maintenance. Keeping these requirements in view, the pioneer Indian Railways companies began making plans for building specialised railway workshops on their own.
- The East Indian Railway set up its fast workshop at Jamalpur in Bihar in 1862 for Locomotive repair and manufacturing activities. Presently Jamalpur workshop manufactures 140 tonne Break-down Cranes, High Capacity Jamalpur Jacks, Broad Gauge Wagons, Repair & Overhauling of Diesel Locomotives, Wagons, 4-Wheeler Tower Cars for Overhead Equipment Maintenance.
- The Eastern Bengal Railway quickly followed, by setting up its workshop at Kanchrapara in 1863. At present the workshop deals with repair & overall of Electric Locomotives, Electric Multiple Unit Motor Coaches, Periodical Overhauling of Suburban Trains, Coaches, Main Line Electric Multiple Unit Trains, Diesel Electric Multiple Unit Trains, Non- Air Conditioned Coaches, Accident Relief Train Vans and 8-Wheel Tower Cars.
- With the rapid expansion of the East Indian Railway, the Liluah Workshop was commissioned near Howrah in the year 1900. At present, the main activity of Liluah Workshop is Periodic Overhauling and Intermediate Overhauling of AC, Non- AC, LHB Coaches and Wagon Stocks. All three Workshops are now run by Eastern Railway and have successfully transformed themselves into thriving hubs of modern Railway technology.
- These three Workshops of Eastern Railway are significant railway maintenance facilities. Established during the British Colonial period, these Workshops specialised in repairing and overhauling railway coaches, wagons and Locomotives.
- The three workshops are thriving hard to maintain consistency in throughput. The Liluah Workshop has already completed periodical overhauling of 706 VU (Vehicle Unit) of coaches (including ICF and LHB) and 781 wagons during April-July 2023 surpassing the projected target of 504 coaches and 684 wagons respectively.
- Liluah workshop has also completed conversion of 20 Camping coaches against the projected target of 8 coaches for the concerned period.
- The Jamalpur Workshop has completed periodical overhauling of 2456 wagons during April –July 2023 against the projected target of 2400 wagons.
- The Kanchrapara Workshop has already completed Periodic Overhauling (POH) of 32 electric locos against the projected target of 25 electric locos for the stipulated time frame of April- July in the current financial year.
- Keeping up its consistent record Kanchrapara Workshop has also completed Periodic overhauling outturn of 631 number of EMU/MEMU coaches against the projected target of 602 numbers of EMU/MEMU for the stipulated time frame of April-July 2023.
- Periodical overhauling of railway coaches is crucial for ensuring the safety, efficiency and longevity of the rolling stock. Periodical overhauls help identify and rectify potential safety hazards, such as worn-out components, structural defects or braking system issues, reducing the risk of accidents.
- Regular maintenance prevents unexpected breakdowns, ensuring that the coaches remain operational and reliable for passengers, thereby minimising service disruptions. Timely overhauls can extend the lifespan of the coaches, reducing the need for frequent replacement and also improve passenger comfort.
Source: Eastern Railway- Press Release | Image Credit (representational): Eastern Railway
