Railways Ministry to Induct 8 New OHE Inspection & Maintenance Cars

With a view to take inspection of electrical over head equipment to a more modern level for ensuring safe rail operation, Indian Railways has decided to introduce 8 Wheeled Diesel Electric Over Head Equipment (OHE) inspection and maintenance Car on Railway Network. With the introduction of these OHE maintenance and inspection cars, the reliability and safety of OHE equipment on Indian Railway will be increased.

Research Design Standard Organisation (RDSO), the research arm of Ministry of Railways has already finalized the specifications for the prototype of these cars. Under the first phase, Indian Railways will be procuring 45 nos. 8-Wheeler OHE Inspection & Maintenance Cars for operation on Broad Gauge electrified routes on 25kV AC.

The Ministry of Railway has already placed contract with two firms namely M/s Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Bangalore and M/s Phooltas Transrail Limited, Patna for submitting designs.

This inspection car is a self-propelled vehicle and is used not only for periodical inspection, patrolling and maintenance of traction overhead equipment (OHE) but also used for attending to sites of breakdown, restoration and damaged OHE. These are specially used during night for electric current collection tests in order to ascertain the safe contact between pantograph of electric locomotive and contact wire of the OHE. The 8-W Inspection & Maintenance OHE Car uses the power generated by the diesel alternator set provided in the OHE car for propulsion. It has maximum operating speed of 110km/hour.

The Diesel Electric type OHE cars are being procured as per latest specification of Research Design Standard Organisation (RDSO) for which design is to be done by firms, and finally approved by RDSO. The design of these vehicles is likely to be approved by RDSO by March 2017 and prototype shall be approved by November 2017. Thereafter supplies of these OHE cars will start from February 2018 and is likely to be completed by June 2019, In Phase – II another tender for 53 nos. of such vehicles (8-W DETC) is also under finalisation and the contract shall be awarded soon.