Kerala’s Palakkad Rail Coach Factory - Country’s first aluminium coach factory
This is an article on the Kerala’s Palakkad Rail Coach Factory. This also happens to be the first rail coach factory in India with the coaches to be built with all aluminium body. The foundation stone of the rail coach factory of the Puthusseri west Village, Palakkad was laid by the Union Railway Minister. Read on for the details.
Foundation stone for the Palakkad Indian Railway coach factory
The official ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone for the Palakkad Rail Coach Factory was laid on the 22nd of February, 2012. The stone was laid by the Union Railways Minister Sri Dinesh Trivedi at the place for the proposed factory to be built at Puthusseri West Village, near Kanjikode, Palakkad District of Kerala State in India. The ceremony had a controversy. The leader of the opposition Sri V S Achuthanandan did not attend the stone laying foundation for the reason that the invitation for him was not proper and as per the protocol. He is a person who is very concerned with the protocol where he is concerned but not so particular about the protocol when he deals with others. The Muslim league also alleged that their leaders were not invited properly. Incidentally it may be noted that the coach factory at Palakkad has come for surrendering the right of Kerala for a Railway Zone to the Salem in the adjacent Tamilnad during the discussions between the then Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and the Union Railway Ministry. Details of the Palakkad Rail Coach Factory
The work on the Palakkad Rail /coach Factory project work will commence during the financial year 2012 – 2013. The project work is scheduled to be completed in 36 months time. The State Government of Kerala has already allocated 239 acres of land of the total proposed area of 429 acres of land. The outlay for the factory is projected at Rs 550 Crores (5.5 billion). When completed the factory is expected to roll out about 400 to 600 rail coaches per year.
The Union Railway Minister under whose department the factory comes declared that the factory will have the latest technology for the production of the coaches. Many foreign countries are trying for the technical collaboration in this project and discussion is going on in this regard with the interested parties from aboard. After the discussions a global tender is expected to be floated to select the ultimate technical collaborator for the project.
In India this is the first factory to manufacture the rail coaches from aluminium metal. To support and supplement the coach factory ancillary industrial units will be set up around the area for supply of the components. The project will be on the model of public-private partnership (PPP). This will manufacture high speed rail coaches with fuel efficiency. Central Government approval of Palakkad Rail Coach Factory
The Central Government has approved the project. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the rail coach factory unit under joint venture. The project cost approved is Rs 550 Crores apart from the land cost. The total share of the Railways contribution in the project will be at 26%. The Railways will purchase 239 acres of land from the State Government. Other Rail Coach Factories in India
The first factory, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is in Perambur a suburb of Chennai City. It is established on 2nd October, 1952. It is manufacturing the conventional coaches of all types to use in diesel, electric, suburban, metro, medical relief vans and for any other type of use. It produces about 1500 coaches per year. This is being modernized and will be making stainless steel coaches in future.
The 2nd one is the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) a state of the art factory with ISO certification manufacturing about 50 types of coaches with Stainless steel and steel exterior with fiber interior coaches. The factory is at Kapurthala in Punjab.
3rd one is at Rai Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. It was inaugurated by Smt Sonia Gandhi UPA Chair person in 2007. The production was started only from 2011. It is n the basis of latest technology manufacturing world class coaches. The first lot of the coaches will roll out during the year 2012-2013.
The 4th factory at Palakkad in Kerala will help railways to meet the increasing demands of passenger rail coaches. The coaches will be useful in high speed trains.
Let us hope that people of Kerala will get away from the habit of protests and bundhs from now on so that the Rail coach factory will be a beginning for the industrial growth of the state which is stagnating in the industrialization.
Job oriented