RAILWAY SAMACHAR

88 engines in 4 yrs, CR's

Parel workshop comes of age

Mumbai : The Parel workshop of the Central Railway has manufactured 88 broad gauge engines in the last four years, 48 of which were sold to private companies, translating into earnings of around Rs 350 crore. The remaining 40 locomotives are being used by the railways.

Manufacture of broad gauge engines commenced at Parel workshop in August 2006, the first being flagged off on December 12, 2006. In 2007-2008 fiscal, 12 engines were manufactured. In 2008-2009, 33 were manufactured and in financial year 2009-2010, the workshop notched up its highest by making 42 engines.

As per the work order dated November 15, 2007, the cost of each locomotive was around Rs 7 crore. Manufacturing cost at Parel workshop is around Rs 1.5 crore and the material is sent by the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi. The locomotives were sold to non-railway customers like SAIL and NTPC.

According to railway sources, the idea of manufacturing engines was conceptualized in July 2006 and the staff at Parel workshop were trained at DLW in assembling BG locomotives and various logistics like drawing lists of material required, transportation, storage and testing of locomotives.

The DLW, the manufacturing unit of broad gauge engines, was not in a position to fulfill the increasing requirement of engines in India for the railways or accept orders of non-railway customers like SAIL and NTPC for supply of (WDS6 ) shunting locomotives. But, having learnt the capacity of Parel workshop from various supplies of intermediate components like underframe and others, DLW felt confident the Parel workshop, which till then was engaged in mainly overhaul of locomotives, could build BG Diesel Locomotives. Also, this workshop was permitted to manufacture goods engines.

Chief works manager at the workshop, Suneet Sharma, said, “Our staff is doing a good job. With the manufacturing of engines, Parel workshop has become a full-fledged manufacturing and revenue-making unit.”

Workshop track record

The Parel workshop was established in 1879, initially for carrying out repairs and periodical overhaul of steam locomotives. After steam locomotives started declining since 1972 in the Indian Railways network, the workshop started carrying out periodical overhaul of BG Diesel locomotives. Presently, the workshop is engaged in a variety of activities like, periodical overhaul of diesel, electric locomotives, BG and NG Diesel Hydraulic locomotives, 140-tonne cranes, mid-life rehabilitation of coaches, conversion of coaches and diesel locomotive component manufacture.