HYDERABAD: Railway Board has advised the South Central Railway (SCR) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to first work out a plan to develop facilities to produce the Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) and Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches at the Railway Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet.
The Board recently wrote a letter to this effect to SCR and RVNL.
In July 2023, the Railway Board has instructed the SCR and RVNL to undertake the works for upgradation of Wagon Periodic Overhauling Workshop to Railway Manufacturing Unit for manufacturing and maintaining of a modern rolling stock. The project has been entrusted to RVNL.
On July 8, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Railway Manufacturing Unit. The Union government decided to develop this unit at a cost of Rs 500 crore.
It is pertinent to mention that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA) mandates that Railway Coach Factory shall be established at Kazipet. The state government and political leaders from Telangana have been demanding that the Centre establish a railway coach factory in Kazipet.
On December 26, 2023 and again on July 4, 2024, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and made a representation, seeking establishment of an integrated railway coach factory in Kazipet.
Following the CM’s request, the Railway Board, on September 18, wrote a letter to the Resident Commissioner of Telangana Bhavan Gaurav Uppal in Delhi stating: “Indian Railways has planned to develop a Railway Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet, which will be capable of manufacturing and maintaining variety of modern railway stocks.”
The following day (September 19), the Railway Board wrote a letter to SCR general manager and RVNL chairman, stating: “In order to expedite the work, SCR and RVNL are further advised to first workout and plan to develop the facilities of Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) and Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches at Railway Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet.”
The LHB coaches are passenger coaches and EMU coaches are self-propelled train carriages that use electricity for power.