Rs 175 crore for Golden Rock modernisation

The Central Railway workshop at Golden Rock is to be modernised at an investment of Rs 175 crore.

Speaking to the media here, Jayanta Ghosh, chief mechanical engineer at Southern Railways, said the railway ministry had identified 10 workshops across the country for refurbishment and modernisation, and the Golden Rock Workshop was one among them.

A detailed project report for the modernisation has already been submitted to the railway board. The major component will be the purchase and installation of sophisticated equipment and gadgets worth over Rs 100 crore including an engine-boring equipment, which is to be imported at a cost of Rs 28 crore.

According to Ghosh, modernisation was essential for this 75-year-old workshop as the demand for new wagons and coaches, for both internal and export consumption, was on the rise.

The current rolling stock of the Indian Railways, he said, was all of high-speed, heavier-hauling capacity and had new materials and technologies. As per the new policy, the speed of the rolling stocks has been enhanced up to 160 kilometres per hour. Beside, the railways was keen on increasing the interval between routine maintenance from the current 2,500 km to the gap of 3,500 km.

Orders for producing new wagons, periodic overhauling (POH) of both passenger coaches and goods wagons, and refurbishment of old meter-gauge engines meant for exports among others boosted Golden Rock's net profit last year which stood at Rs 200 crore.

The workshop is also gearing up to handle POH for the new breed of high-speed General Motors' locomotives, which are being slowly inducted into the Indian Railways. For the purpose, it is in the process of creating new facilities at an investment of Rs 16 crore. The facility is likely to go onstream before the end of 2007.

Earlier, Ghosh formally commissioned the additional infrastructure facilities (coach pitline with covered shed) created at the workshop at an investment of Rs 2 crore.

S Rangarajan, chief workshop manager, Golden Rock Workshop, formally flagged off the 26th rake of 45 wagons meant for Concor.

Electrification work

The electrification work on the broad-gauge section between Tiruchirapalli junction and Villupuram will be completed before the end of December 2007.

Addressing railway officials here, R Mohandoss, general manager, Central Organisation for Railway Electrification, Allahabad, said the tender process had already been completed and the segment between Villupuram and Vridhachalam would be completed by March 2007.

The Rs 96-crore project is of 178 km length and encompasses three major river bridges, about 40 culverts. It is one of the oldest railway sections in the southern railways. Popularly known as the lifeline, it connects the historic town of Trichy via Srirangam, Ariyalur and Vridhachalam.