With more and more Vande Bharat trains taking over the tracks, the Indian Railways has put together an action plan to set up a dedicated eight-line maintenance facility at Wadi Bunder Yard, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). An Indian Express report quoting a senior Central Railways official said the tender for the development of this state-of-the-art facility will be called soon.
According to the official, the step was taken to ensure proper resources are available since more Vande Bharat trains connecting Mumbai with other states and towns are anticipated.
Currently, two Vande Bharat trains are already running to Shirdi and Solapur from CSMT, while the third one to Goa is expected to be put into service soon. Hence, in order to maintain these rakes, a dedicated maintenance facility is required.
The commercial operations of Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train were shelved following the Odisha train catastrophe, which occurred a day before the train’s official inauguration.
Why Wadi Bunder has been chosen for Vande Bharat trains?
Due to its close proximity to CSMT, Wadi Bunder has been selected for maintenance of Vande Bharat trains starting from Mumbai.
Established in 1882, Wadi Bunder is the oldest yard in Mumbai with 14 sheds and 64 main lines for trains during its initial days. The said facility was used for excessive loading and unloading of commodities, like foodgrains, explosives and other raw materials. In the pre-independence era, the site was established as one of the major economic hubs, handling everything from coach maintenance to train washing. The workload did, however, eventually decrease and currently, 50% of the yard, which spans over 19 hectares, is empty.
There are eight lines on which conventional mail express trains originating from CSMT undergo maintenance. Notably, the primary maintenance of the two Vande Bharat trains originating from Mumbai to Shirdi and Solapur is done by railways in Wadi Bunder site only.
In conversation with The Indian Express, the official revealed that the new eight lines will be an additional facility that will be established for the next-generation Vande Bharat trains and the maintenance of the said lines will be done through a private contractor. “However, all eight lines will not be given to the private contractor,” the official added. It will be given according to the requirement as more Vande Bharat trains get added to the fleet.
The official further explained that of the eight lines that have been proposed to be developed, four lines will be developed, initially (three for maintenance and one will be a sick line).
Additionally, another senior official from Central Railways confirmed that the railways are looking to hire a private contractor to also develop the infrastructure along with the maintenance at the railways place, adding that, the land is of a private entity where the maintenance facility is developed then there may be a possibility it may discontinue the service for whatsoever reason.
More Vande Bharat trains from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus soon
Meanwhile, according to the sources, Indian Railways is planning to introduce additional Vande Bharat trains from CSMT for Kolhapur, Jalna and other cities, depending on the demand and popularity in the coming days.