All safe rail coaches only in 8 years, says CAG; Modi govt had promised by 2022

Indian Railways will take at least another eight years to convert the existing 903 Integral Coach Factory (ICF)-type rakes to the safer LHB rakes, states the latest Comptroller and Audit General report on locomotives, which was tabled in Parliament last week. Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had, in 2017, promised that by 2022 India would stop inducting the relatively unsafe ICF coaches and move to the safer Linke-Hoffman-Busch (LHB) coaches.

Stressing on the importance of ensuring safety of passengers, Goyal had stated that by 2022 ICF would be history. He had then added that there was no shortage of funds for safety. “Rae Bareli (modern coach factory) has already sent me a proposal to produce 5,000 LHB coaches per year, up from 1,000 at present,” Goyal had stated in 2017.

Despite having serious safety risk as assessed by a High-Level Safety Review Committee, the pace at which ICF rakes are being converted to LHB rakes, was very slow, noted the CAG audit. The current pace of production was around 2,000 LHB coaches per year. At this pace, it would take the Indian Railways at least eight years to convert all the existing ICF rakes to LHB rakes.

The CAG report has advised the Ministry of Railways to speed up the production of LHB coaches, and ancillary facilities required, if they plan to achieve complete switch over to LHB coaches.

During the last three years (2015-16 to 2017-18), 195 rakes were planned for conversion into LHB rakes. However, only 108 rakes could be converted into LHB rakes. Audit noted that the Railway Board did not allot required number of LHB coaches to zonal Railways and allotted coaches in piecemeal. The coaches which reached the Zonal Railways were found lying unused till appropriate number of coaches were allotted to form a rake.

In February 2012, a High-Level Safety Review Committee recommended complete switching over to the manufacture of LHB design coaches and immediate stopping of the manufacture of ICF design coaches. However, the decision to switch over to LHB coaches was taken only with effect from April 1, 2018. During the last five years, out of 19,327 coaches produced by Indian Railways’ production units, only 5,847 coaches were of LHB type, only 30%.

Indian Railways has three coach production units - Integral Coach Factory Perambur (ICF), Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala (RCF), Modern Coach Factory Raebareli (MCF). ICF and RCF manufacture both conventional and LHB coaches and MCF was set up in April 2011 to produce LHB coaches only. Railways also planned to set up new production units of LHB coaches at Kanchrapara and Singur. But, these were not yet functional.

MCF was set up for production of only LHB coaches. However, it was yet to fully contribute towards production of LHB coaches. During 2013-18, only 37% of the installed capacity was utilised. There was lack of adequate pace in production of LHB coaches and non-creation of adequate production facilities in MCF, Kancharapara and Singur units, states the CAG report.

This has impacted the achievement of stated objective of switch over to LHB rakes. Further, inadequate maintenance facilities in depots and workshops have also impacted effective and timely maintenance of LHB coaches.

Out of 49,033 ICF conventional coaches, 609 coaches have already completed their life span of 25 years on March 31, 2018. Further, about 13% coaches (6,259 coaches) were between the age of 20 and 25 years and would need to be replaced in the next five years. CAG underscored that the running of over aged coaches in the railway system has an adverse impact on passenger safety.

After examining records of 53 major coaching depots to analyse the adequacy of maintenance of LHB coaches, CAG noticed a lack of adequate infrastructure required for maintenance of LHB coaches in 14 depots. Spare items for maintenance of LHB coaches were not being properly maintained in 12 depots.