Vande Bharat: Ahmedabad to get Rs 307 crore repair hub

Western Railway's Ahmedabad division is developing a Rs 307 crore Vande Bharat maintenance hub at Sabarmati to carry out major repairs and scheduled overhauls locally, reducing the need to send trainsets elsewhere. The facility forms Phase II of the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot and is designed for 24-coach trainsets.

The Economic Times reported on October 18, citing Times of India reporting, that the wheel care shed and four stabling lines have been completed, while the heavy repair shed is nearing completion. The electrical substation building is also ready and has been handed over. The report does not specify a commissioning date for the overall facility.

Two repair lines and dedicated wheel servicing

The heavy repair shed will have two maintenance lines with different functions. One will allow staff to lift coaches and remove their bogies. The other will support repairs to coach interiors, passenger amenities, braking systems and electrical equipment.

Although construction of the wheel care shed is complete, modern machinery for servicing wheels and axles is described as planned. Completion of the building therefore does not establish that its maintenance equipment is operational.

The depot will also support overhauls of traction motors, transformers and other electrical systems, bringing several major mechanical and electrical maintenance functions together at one location.

Its four completed stabling lines have a combined track length of 2,547 metres and will provide space to station trainsets during depot operations.

Projected capacity depends on the maintenance category

The project plan envisages completing SS-I maintenance on one 24-coach Vande Bharat trainset in about 30 days. SS-II maintenance is expected to take approximately 45 days.

On those assumptions, the depot is projected to handle around 12 trainsets a year for SS-I maintenance or eight for SS-II maintenance. These are alternative capacity estimates for the two categories, not a combined annual target of 20 trainsets or a record of work already completed.

Once operational, the hub is expected to expand Ahmedabad's ability to service Vande Bharat trains as the network grows. Bringing heavy repairs, wheel servicing and electrical overhauls into the same depot could reduce transfers to other maintenance locations; the report does not quantify potential cost or time savings.