Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India laid the foundation stone for development of coach maintenance facilities in a function held at Aurangabad Railway station on 3rd October, 2022. Raosaheb Patil Danve, Minister of State of Railways, Coal and Mines, Govt. of India presided over the function and Dr. Bhagwat Karad, Minister of State of Finance, Govt. of India graced the occasion as Distinguished Guest. Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager (In-Charge), SCR, Upinder Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Nanded Division and other senior Railway officials were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister stated that Indian Railways is focused on providing enhanced Rail connectivity to the people of India. He stated that under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railways is progressing in all fields towards achieving New India – New Railways. He remembered Prime Minister’s vision of transformation of Indian Railways on par with world class infrastructure and facilities, which will be pertinent to the development of the Nation even upto the next 50 years. Further, the Railway Minister informed that the Government is undertaking various initiatives for the development of Railways in the State of Maharashtra including the Marathwada region. Recently, Railways has also announced the redevelopment of 199 Railway stations across the Nation. These will be iconic stations developed with the concept of intelligent building, he added. The Minister informed that out of these 199 stations, tenders have been issued for 47 stations and Master planning and design for the remaining is underway. Work is progressing fast for 32 stations, he stated.
In addition, the Railway Minister stated that Indian Railways will introduce 400 new Vande Bharat trains. Out of these, 100 Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured at Rail Coach Factory in Latur, Maharashtra, he said. Further, he stated that the development of Coach Maintenance facilities at Aurangabad Railway Station not only facilitates maintenance of trains at the station but also enhances the potential to operate more number of Passenger trains and Parcel trains, thereby strengthening Rail connectivity for the people of Marathwada region and also benefiting the freight customers, simultaneously. He stated the new pit line may also facilitate scheduled maintenance of Vande Bharat trains in the near future.
Addressing the gathering, Raosaheb Patil Danve, Minister of State of Railways, Coal and Mines stated that the development of coach maintenance facility at Aurangabad Railway station will strengthen the Rail infrastructure in Marathwada region. He stated that passengers from Aurangabad frequently travel to important cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc.,. The new pit line with design of 16 coach length will facilitate introduction of more originating passenger trains, which will be beneficial for the people of Aurangabad. The pit line will also facilitate effective maintenance of passenger coaches, he added. Further, the Minister of State of Railways informed that the Government has prioritized development of Rail infrastructure. In this regard, several infrastructure works have been completed and commissioned in the Marathwada region in the past 8 years including doubling, tripling and electrification of important sections, he stated.
During the welcome address, Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager (In-Charge), SCR stated stated that the development of coach maintenance facility at Aurangabad will facilitate smooth operation of passenger train services and improve coaching operations in the region. The Automatic coach Washing Plant will also immensely help in modernization of coach cleaning and improves aesthetics. I am sure the enhanced Rail facilities will meet the aspirations of rail users, he added.
Aurangabad railway station situated on Secunderabad – Manmad rail route is a tourism hub with popular tourist destinations like Ellora & Ajanta caves, Daulatabad fort, Grishneswar temple, Bibi ka Maqbara etc. Currently, Aurangabad station handles few passenger train services which originate from here. As part of the upgradation of coaching facilities, Indian Railways has proposed for construction of new CAMTECH design pit line at Aurangabad Railway Station with an estimated cost of around Rs 30 crores. The new Pit Line will facilitate maintenance of Passenger Trains, Parcel Trains, Full Tariff Rate (FTR) trains and will also improve the rolling stock maintenance and provide the opportunity to operate more number of train services.
Salient Features of new Pit Line at Aurangabad Railway Station:
1. One Pit line with CAMTECH design of 16 coach length (400 M)
2. Automatic Coach Washing Plant for exterior cleaning of coaches with modern technology.
3. Service building for Carriage &Wagon and Train Lighting / AC Staff
4. Synchronised jacks, High pressure coach cleaning machine, Air compressors along with overhead tank facility to store water.
5. Facility for inspection, cleaning, charging and watering of the coaches.
6. Highest standards in Coach cleaning with the introduction Automatic Coach Cleaning Machines
Sandipan Bhumare, Minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme & Horticulture, Govt of Maharashtra & Guardian Minister, Aurangabad District; Abdul Sattar, Minister for Agriculture, Govt of Maharashtra; Atul Save, Minister for Co-operation and Other Backward Bahujan Welfare, Govt of Maharashtra; Syed Imtiaz Jaleel, MP, Aurangabad; Ambadas Danve, Leader of Opposition, Legislative Council, Maharashtra; MLC - Satish Chavan; MLAs - Sanjay Shirsat; and Haribhau Bagde also participated in the program at Aurangabad.
