Vande Bharat trains operating in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, have been equipped with special features to cope with the region’s extreme winter conditions, including sub-zero temperatures and dense fog.
Interacting with a group of Kashmir-based journalists visiting Chennai under a PIB tour, Anupam Chouhan, Chief Workshop Engineer, LHP Division, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), said trains operating in challenging climatic conditions require specialised features to ensure smooth and safe operations.
Elaborating on the Vande Bharat trains deployed in Kashmir, Chouhan said a special heating arrangement has been provided along the water-pipe network.
The system is designed to prevent water from freezing in the pipelines during sub-zero temperatures and ensure uninterrupted water supply for lavatories and other facilities inside the train.
He said another important feature incorporated in the Kashmir-specific Vande Bharat trains is a strong defogging system.
Dense fog and condensation can affect visibility through the front and rear panes, particularly for the locomotive pilot.
“To ensure clear visibility and an unobstructed line of sight, strong defoggers have been provided in trains operating in Kashmir,” Chouhan said.
The specialised systems are part of efforts to adapt modern railway services to the demanding climatic conditions of Jammu and Kashmir, where severe winters pose operational challenges for railway infrastructure and rolling stock.
He points out that the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, one of the three major coach manufacturing facilities of the Indian Railways, is marching ahead with increased production and a gradual shift towards manufacturing Vande Bharat coaches.
The oldest and largest coach manufacturing facility in the country, ICF was inaugurated on October 2, 1955, by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Since its inception, the factory has rolled out more than 80,000 coaches, making it one of the world’s largest single-site coach manufacturing facilities.
The Chennai-based factory employs around 8,500 personnel from the government sector and nearly 6,000 workers from the private sector for various manufacturing and allied activities. ICF produced around 3,500 coaches during the last financial year, while the production target for the current year has been fixed at 3,865 coaches.
Chief Workshop Engineer, LHP, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, Anupam Chouhan said the facility was moving ahead with the changing requirements of Indian Railways, particularly with a focus on enhancing Vande Bharat coach production.
He said work was underway for manufacturing four Vande Bharat chair-car train sets and four Vande Bharat sleeper train sets in the near future. Besides, one Vande Bharat freight train has already been rolled out and is currently undergoing trials, while another such train is under manufacturing.
The shift towards Vande Bharat coaches comes amid the Railways’ stated plan to gradually replace older conventional train coaches with newer-generation rolling stock. The move is aimed at modernising passenger services and facilitating faster train movement across the country.
Chouhan also said that the facility is catering to the needs of the entire country and different sectors.
