Existing units sufficient to meet demand: Vaishnaw on Kerala coach factory

A rail coach factory at Palakkad in Kerala was sanctioned in the Railway Budget for 2012-13; however, the existing production units and those already planned are sufficient to meet the overall demand for rolling stock in the near future, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, July 31.

CPI(M) MP from Kerala John Brittas raised the issue in the House and asked why the Rail Coach Factory at Kanjikode, sanctioned in the 2008-09 Railway Budget and for which the foundation stone was laid in 2012, remained unimplemented despite the Kerala government having acquired the required land.

Brittas also sought to know the reasons, including "whether the subsequent Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and review of coach manufacturing capacity led to its deferment."

“The work of setting up a Rail coach factory at Palakkad in Kerala was sanctioned in Railway Budget 2012-13 in JV/PPP mode. Rail Coach manufacturing units are set up keeping in view the Railways’ overall operational requirement of Rolling Stock. 

Presently, the existing Production Units and those already planned are sufficient to meet the Railways’ overall requirement of aforesaid Rolling Stock in near future,” Vaishnaw said.

“Further, any available Railway land is utilised for creating infrastructure as per the operational needs. The said railway land measuring approximately 228 acres at Kanjikode, Palakkad was acquired at a cost of approximately Rs. 39.80 crore and has been planned for future development/operational needs of Indian Railways,” he added.

(With inputs from PTI)