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New ICF coaches to withstand accidents

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI April 10. The ICF, in the current year, will roll out coaches, which can better withstand accidents and cause minimum injuries to passengers, the general manager, M.V.Ramani, said here today.

Talking to newsmen, Mr. Ramani said that the ICF had planned to incorporate new technological concepts in coaches that would ensure non-telescoping of coaches during an accident. As the doors and end-frames of the coaches were usually jammed following accidents, the ICF had planned to design them in such a manner that they received the maximum impact causing minimum injuries to passengers. Similarly, there would be emergency exits on the roof of all coaches to enable passengers escape after the mishap. While these could be opened from inside by the passengers and would also be illuminated, there would be separate exit points on the floor, which could only be opened from the outside by rescue teams. Further, a couple of windows would also be fitted with levers to become `emergency exits' for passengers. Provision of centre buffer couplers, anti-injury fittings inside the coach, and anti-climbing features in the exterior of the coaches had been conceived and designed in the new coaches, which would be safer than the existing coaches. Two model coaches consisting of these features would be manufactured this year and after getting the approval of the Railway Board, all coaches from the ICF would incorporate these features in future.

The ICF had also taken up design and manufacture of fire-proof coaches and the first such coach would be turned out by September this year. A meeting of key suppliers to the factory had been called to ensure that they could supply fire-proof materials, going a step further from the present phase of fire-resistant materials. Unless all the components were fire-proof, the coach would not be.

A modern painting workshop would be set up in the factory at a cost of Rs. 26 crores to provide better quality painting to coaches. At present coaches were being painted annually which would not be necessary if the coaches were painted in the automated workshop. Though the initial cost of painting would be more, it would last for five years. The new paintshop was expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Mr.Ramani said in the current year the ICF was given a target of 950 coaches including 80 Janshatabdi coaches. Referring to Andhra Pradesh Government's complaint against EMU coaches manufactured for its multi-modal transport system, he said a team of officials from Hyderabad inspected the refurnished coaches at ICF and after getting the clearance from the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, two rakes would be dispatched to Hyderabad. The remaining coaches, he said, would be delivered subsequently.

As part of a World Bank funded project to convert Mumbai's suburban system from 1500 V DC traction to 25 KV AC traction, the ICF would be acquiring the latest technology for the production of coaches.

For the Southern Railway, two similar EMU rakes would be supplied for its MRTS services in Chennai, the General Manager added. The first of these had been handed over. Asked if the ICF was not exporting any coaches this year, officials said that they were participating in bids for the supply of coaches for both Malaysia and Sri Lanka. They were in different stages of being processed.

At a function held at the ICF in the evening, "Railway Week" was celebrated at the stadium. As many as 121 employees were honoured for their service to the organisation. The Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, K. Ganesan, was the chief guest and presented the awards.

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