Ahmedabad to Get Rs 307 Crore Vande Bharat Train Maintenance Hub at Sabarmati

Sabarmati: Western Railway’s Ahmedabad Division is developing a maintenance hub at the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot (ICD) to undertake scheduled maintenance of modern trains, including Vande Bharat trainsets. The project, being developed under Phase II of the depot at an estimated cost of Rs 307 crore, includes specialised sheds, advanced machinery and technical facilities.

Once operational, the facility will strengthen the infrastructure required for the maintenance of modern trainsets and enable scheduled maintenance to be carried out more efficiently and systematically. The maintenance shed is expected to be ready for Vande Bharat train maintenance in the coming period.

The project includes heavy repair bay sheds, section sheds, a wheel care shed, a tandem wheel lathe shed, drop pits, retractable overhead equipment (OHE), machinery and plant (M&P), and other associated facilities. Construction is progressing in phases, with work on several key structures already completed.

The Phase II project is designed to handle scheduled SS-I and SS-II maintenance of 24-coach Vande Bharat trainsets. According to the planned maintenance schedule, SS-I maintenance of a 24-coach trainset will take around 30 days, while SS-II maintenance will take approximately 45 days. Based on this schedule, the depot is designed to handle about 12 trainsets annually for SS-I maintenance or eight trainsets for SS-II maintenance.

Section sheds for major equipment

Section sheds measuring 322 metres by 20 metres, with a combined covered area of around 69,334 square feet, are being developed to facilitate the dismantling, assembly and overhauling of major mechanical and electrical equipment, including their assemblies and sub-assemblies.

The facilities will support maintenance of critical components such as traction transformers, traction converters, traction motors, auxiliary converters, isolation transformers, pantographs and roof-mounted package units (RMPUs). This will allow several specialised maintenance activities to be carried out within the same complex.

Heavy repair bays nearing completion

Construction of the heavy repair bay sheds, each measuring 322 metres by 25 metres and covering around 86,597 square feet, is almost complete. The facility has been designed with two maintenance lines.

One line will be equipped with synchronised pit jacks to lift coaches and remove bogies. The other will be used for maintenance of coach interiors, passenger amenities, braking systems and other electrical equipment. Once fully operational, the facilities will enable different maintenance activities to be undertaken in a more organised manner.

Wheel care shed completed

The 75-metre-by-40-metre wheel care shed, covering around 32,292 square feet, has been completed and is ready for handover along with its associated service building.

The facility will handle essential wheel and axle maintenance activities, including overhauling, resurfacing and turning. Equipment planned for the shed includes a CNC surface wheel lathe, CNC axle-turning lathe, dynamic wheel-balancing machine and hydraulic wheel press, along with other modern machinery.

These machines will enable wheel and axle maintenance to be carried out using advanced technology.

Track and electrical infrastructure

Work on the depot’s track infrastructure has also made significant progress. Rail linking across four stabling lines, covering a total of approximately 2,547 metres, has been completed. Work on both maintenance lines in the heavy repair bay sheds is also nearing completion.

Meanwhile, construction of the electrical substation (ESS) building, measuring 30 metres by 20 metres and covering around 6,458 square feet, has been completed, and the building has been handed over. The substation forms an essential part of the electrical infrastructure required to support the project.

DeshGujarat