Motibagh Workshop transformed into LHB coach maintenance unit
| Date :03-Dec-2020 |
Staff Reporter :
Overhauled at the city-based facility, the first of non-AC Linke Hofmann Busch coach handed over to the SECR
Taking a big leap, Motibagh Workshop, once backbone of South East Central Railway’s Narrow Gauge network, has transformed into a hub for maintenance of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches. The first of non-AC LHB coach that was overhauled at the city-based facility was handed over to the SECR. The event was a big achievement and top bosses from Mechanical Department were present to applaud technical manpower at the workshop for successful migration to select club. With LHB, now going to drive future growth of Indian Railways, the successful overhaul of the new technology coaches gives a new lease of life to Motibagh Workshop.
The achievement assumes significance as at one point of time dark clouds were hovering over the very existence of Motibagh Workshop as the over 700 km of NG network of SECR started fading into the pages of history. The last five years saw the major facility of the SECR zone carrying odd works including maintenance of broad gauge coaches to keep itself afloat in the era of major transformation in the railways. “After taking a review, Railway Board sanctioned maintenance of LHB coaches at Motibagh Workshop from April this year but outbreak of the pandemic forced rescheduling of the operations,” said L K Dhurandar, Chief Works Manager (CWM), Motibagh Workshop, after the ceremony on Wednesday. “This year, we were given the target of overhauling of 15 coaches but since work on repairs started form month of November by March end at the most only seven to eight coaches would be handled at this workshop,” he added.
“The expansion work is on at the workshop for catering to maintenance of additional coaches. Right now, only one floor is available for overhauling under SS-II schedule, but post-expansion, the capacity would increase to 15 coaches at a time. Once all the machineries and additional benches are in place, the yearly rollout of overhauled LHB coaches would increase to 324. With this, Motibagh Workshop would be able to cater to complete maintenance of all the LHB coaches stock with SECR Zone, Bilaspur,” Dhurandar informed. A LHB coach is taken up under SS-II schedule after in use for 36 months at stretch. During the overhaul, technicians take apart entire coach and refit each nut and bolt from wheels to ceiling. While the workshop handles specific technical work, other routine works are also done but are outsourced. Before nomination of Motibagh Workshop, LHB coaches of SECR Zone were being maintained at Lilua Workshop in West Bengal.
The overhauling of such coach requires a period of 50-60 days and SECR was paying Rs 13 lakh per coach for the same. With in house maintenance facility, the zone’s savings would help in upgrading facilities at Motibagh Workshop. Also, this will speed up re-rolling of the coaches. Meanwhile, SECR bosses entrusted the task of flagging of the first LHB overhauled coach to a batch of technicians who are going to superannuate later during next month. S Srinivas, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer (PCME), SECR Headquarters, Bilaspur; Gunjan Wasnik, Sr Divisional Mechanical Engineer, SECR, Nagpur Division; Nikhilesh Pawar, Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer; Praful Pokhra, Sr Materials Manager (GSD); Akash Patil, Assistant Works Manager; Amresh Kumar Shukla, Assistant Personnel Officer; and others staffers of Motibagh Workshop along with Lalit Kumar Dhurandar also were present on the occasion.