Goyal inducts 5 new Track Maintenance Machines

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Indian Railway, which had earlier introduced latest state of the art integrated track maintenance technology by way of inducting thirteen 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express machines,  on July 26, 2018, evening inducted five new machines including three highly efficient Dynamic Track Temping Machines, one Ballast Cleaning Machine and one Points and Crossings Tamping Machine.

These are besides the existing fleet of 883 Track Maintenance Machines already deployed on heavy density routes. Also Coaches have been refurbished indigenously at a cost of Rs 18 lakh per coach for taking care of the accommodation needs of the staff of the track machines providing them a comfortable home away from home, according to a PIB release.

These machines were inaugurated and flagged off by Piyush Goyal, Minister for Railways & Coal, in the presence of M K Gupta, Member (Engineering), Railway Board, Vishwesh Chaube, General Manager, Northern Railway,  A K Khandelwal, Executive Director, Track Machines, Railway Board,  R N Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi Division and other senior officers of the Railway Board and Northern Railway on July 26, at Safdurjang Railway Station, New Delhi, according to a PIB release.

Goyal also released booklets in English, Hindi & Punjabi on  the achievements and initiatives undertaken in the past four years by the Ministry of Railways for the State of Delhi NCR.

The New 09-3X- Dynamic Tamping Express costing about Rs 27 crore each is a latest high output integrated tamping machine having multiple functions, so far being carried out by different machines. It can measure pre & post track geometry, correct the track to required geometry, can tamp three sleepers simultaneously, stabilise and measure post tamping track parameters under load to ensure quality of work done. This eliminates the need for a separate stabilisation machine which reduces operating costs and track possession time. This machine will vibrate & compact the loose stone ballast after tamping for safe movements of trains.

These machines have been manufactured in India under Make In India initiative with imported components. Fortytwo more such machines have been planned to be included in Indian Railway maintenance fleet over next three years.

Conversion of existing caches to Mobile Workshop cum Rest Van: The Track machines are the lifeline of Railway track maintenance system. These keep on moving from place to place for maintenance of track as per requirement. The staff of track machines also keeps on moving along with their allotted machine. The track machines staff is often required to work continuously for up to three weeks in remote areas.

Mobile workshop cum rest van fulfils the need of their accommodation cum workshop cum office in such a dynamic condition. Initially, a general class coach was provided for this purpose. With time, it was improved / facilitated gradually and now it has evolved from a simple general coach to a home like place where staff can have proper rest and workshop facility.

The newly re-furbished coaches are provided with fully furnished modular kitchen, RO water plant, refrigerator, bio-toilet, bathroom with geyser, storage space, office cum living space equipped with state of art inverter based air-conditioner, HD television & satellite TV connection, proper beds, LED lighting, wall fans, desert coolers, generator and inverter for power backup and spare part storage & repair space, so as to provide the track machine staff a home away from home.