Siemens

Integral Coach Factory

ICF

Chennai

electrical multiple unit

EMU

railway station

Central Railway

Western Railways

Eachrake has a lifecycle of about 25 years; cracks severe, say experts.Defects have been detected in 25 motor coaches assembled at the) in. These) coaches, which ply on the suburban network, were supplied by Siemens, and assembled in Chennai. According to experts, who inspected the coaches at Matunga, seven of these 7-to-8-year-old coaches require major repairs.official said that engineers from the ICF acknowledged that there were cracks in the bogie bolsters – the central section of a compartment – of the Siemens rakes. According to them, the cracks were either a manufacturing defect, or were caused by overloading. The Central Railways official said that if the repairs cannot be carried out in the city, the defective parts would be sent back to Chennai. Each rake – a rake consists of 12 coaches -- costs around Rs 24 crore.Hemant Kumar, a former member of the Railway Board, told Mirror that the issue was serious. “A bogie bolster carries the entire weight of a coach’s under frame. If the cracks are severe, a bogie could be separated from the wheels.” Kumar also added that since the coaches are around seven years old, corrosion could also be a factor.Siemens rakes were introduced in Mumbai around 8 years ago. The lifecycle of each rake is about 25 years. Currently, Central Railway has 93 Siemens rakes, whilehas around 14. This is not the first time that the Siemens rakes have developed problems. In 2009, the wheels of the rakes, said a senior railways officer, would lock up, because of defective bearings. The bearings were subsequently replaced by ICF.Sources said that the matter came to light last late month, and Ravindra Gupta, member of the Railway Board, rushed to review the situation at the Kurla car shed. “We are reviewing the situation, and we will come to a conclusion in the next two days,” Gupta told Mirror.