The Mechanical Department
The Mechanical Department is responsible for maintenance of ‘assets on wheels’ – Diesel locomotives, Coaches and Wagons. This task is carried out through a network of diesel loco sheds, coaching depots, wagon depots and workshops with the goal of ensuring
Adequate availability
Reliability
Passenger comfort
and perhaps the most important goal being Safety in train operation.
In addition, the Department maintains and operates Disaster Management Equipments (Accident Relief Trains in Railway parlance) which include 140-tonne diesel Hydraulic cranes and hydraulic re-railing equipments, Self-propelled Relief trains). Specially trained ‘Quick-response-teams’ man these equipments on 24-hour alert located at strategic points.
The starting years of Workshops, Loco Sheds & Divisions of S.C Rly are furnished in the tabular form given below.
| Workshop | Year Started |
| Lalaguda Workshop | 1893 |
| Rayanpadu Workshop | 1976 |
| Tirupati Workshop | 1985 |
| Diesel Shed | Year Started |
| Diesel Loco shed/ Gooty | 1963 |
| Diesel Loco shed/ Guntakal | 1964 |
| Diesel Loco shed/Kazipet | 1973 |
| Diesel Loco shed/Vijayawada | 1983 |
| Diesel Loco shed/ Moula-Ali | 1984 |
| Division | Year Started |
| Vijayawada Division | 1956 |
| Guntakal Division | 1956 |
| Secunderabad Division | 1966 |
| Hyderabad Division | 1977 |
| Nanded Division | 2003 |
| Guntur Division | 2003 |
Workshops:
South Central Railway has three Workshops to carry out POH (Periodic Over hauling) of Coaching and Freight stock.
Details of the activities, monthly and annual production output of the Workshops:
| S.No | Name Of workshop | Location | Activity | Monthly target | Annual target |
| 1 | Carriage Repair Shop | Lallaguda | Periodic Overhauling (POH) of coaches | 119 Vehicle Units (VUs) | 1423 VUs |
| 2 | Carriage Repair Shop | Tirupati | POH of coaches | 80 VUs | 953 VUs |
| 3 | Wagon Repair shop | Guntupalli | POH of Wagons | 510 VUs | 6120 VUs |
Coaching Maintenance Depots:
Coach Holding: 5072
South Central Railway has 5 mega, 2 major, 2 medium and 4 minor coaching depots, where 123 passenger and express trains are maintained. These depots carry out primary and secondary maintenance of these Express trains. Prime importance is given for safety, passenger amenities, disinfection and cleanliness of passenger trains. In addition to regular maintenance, these depots carry out A, B, C Schedules for ICF type coaches, D2, D3 schedules for LHB type coaches and Intermediate overhauling (IOH) of ICF type coaching stock and SS1 schedule of LHB type coaching stock of passenger, express & super fast trains.
Coaching Depots Locations with their holdings:
| S. No. | Depot | Coach holding | Classification |
| 1 | Secunderabad | 1210 | Mega |
| 2 | Hyderabad | 748 | Mega |
| 3 | Tirupathi | 715 | Mega |
| 4 | Nanded | 513 | Mega |
| 5 | Kacheguda | 510 | Mega |
| 6 | Kakinada | 379 | Major |
| 7 | Guntur | 258 | Major |
| 8 | Vijayawada | 240 | Medium |
| 9 | Narasapur | 163 | Medium |
| 10 | Purna | 118 | Minor |
| 11 | Kazipet | 84 | Minor |
| 12 | Machilipatnam | 90 | Minor |
| 13 | Guntakal | 44 | Minor |
Good work done / Achievements/Action plan:
A total of 47 rakes of SCRly have been identified to upgrade under Project Utkrisht, which is expected to complete by September 2021. They are being provided with distinct color scheme, upgraded upholstery and panels, anti graffiti coating etc. to give premium ambience to the passengers.
04 no's of Automatic coach washing plants are sanctioned for coaching depots over SCRly to improve washing quality of rakes and also to reduce water consumption. out of which one at COA and one at KCG are already installed. two numbers one at SC and one at HYB are under commissioning.
Quick watering facilities are planned for 09 stations over SCRly to ensure full watering of rakes within 10 to 15 mins. out of which QWF available at SC, KCG & BZA installation completed. Remaining locations are under process / progress.
To improve safety of passengers during the course of journey, security systems like CCTVs, automatic smoke and fire detection and suppression systems, emergency lights, fire extinguishers with alarm facility etc., are being installed.
All coaches of this Railway have been provided with Environmental friendly Bio-Toilets. 64 coaches of this railway are also provided with air craft style Bio-Vacuum toilets.
To address the issue of foul smell inside Bio-Toilets, venturi system has been introduced (to side body of the coach) which will exhaust the foul smell in the toilets by ventilation created by venturi.
All coaching depots of this railway are geared up for maintenance of LHB coaches. At present, LHB coaches are being maintained at SC, HYB, NED, BZA, GNT ,TPTY and COA coaching depots.
On Board Housekeeping Services is available in long distance trains in which the interior of coaches including toilets are being cleaned through trained manpower using modern machines and material while on run.
To improve the cleanliness standards, Mechanized cleaning of coaches (MCC) has been implemented in 11 coaching depots of SCRly. (dealing with 81 trains with 1248 coaches on daily basis).
All the pass through trains during day light hours via Vijayawada, Renigunta, Guntakal and Secunderabad railway stations are being cleaned under the scheme of Clean Train Station (121 trains with 2056 coaches per day).
All pantry cars have been provided with stainless steel paneling to combat corrosion. In addition, these kitchens are equipped with gas pipelines and 230V AC power supply
Wagon Depots:
Wagon Holding: 24325 BG Wagons.
There are three major and two minor Routine Overhauling (ROH) Depots for freight stock. Major depots are situated at Ramagundam, Gooty & Vijayawada. Minor depots are situated at Sanathnagar and Bellampally. These depots carry out overhauling of most types of freight stock at fixed intervals. Major ROH depots are under the supervision of Assistant Mechanical Engineers. Freight stock undergoes ROH as a part of preventive maintenance to improve reliability in service.
| Diesel Loco sheds: Diesel Shed | Year Started | | Diesel Loco shed/ Gooty | 1963 | | Diesel Loco shed/ Guntkal | 1964 | | Diesel Loco shed/Kazipet | 1973 | | Diesel Loco shed/Vijayawada | 1983 | | Diesel Loco shed/ Moula-Ali | 1984 |
Diesel Loco Sheds are the front-line Strategic Business Units. They are well-equipped and self-contained to undertake preventive and corrective maintenance of diesel locomotives. South Central Railway has diesel loco sheds at Guntakal, Gooty (both in Anantapur Dist) Vijayawada (Krishna Dist) of Andhra Pradesh, Kazipet (Warangal Dist), Moula Ali (Hyderabad, Rangareddy Dist) of Telangana. These sheds have a holding of 522 Diesel and 180 Electric locomotives to cater both passenger and freight traffic. In addition to 78 DEMUs maintaining at Vijayawada & Moula Ali to cater passenger and suburban services. 2 Rail buses are also maintaining at Vijayawada to cater the passenger services between Kakinada- Kotipalli section of Vijayawada division. These sheds also have captive fuelling facilities.
|
1. Location of locomotive sheds & their holdings:
S No. | Location | Loco holding | Types locos | Population Type wise |
| 1 | Kazipet | 164(Diesel)+ 70(Electric) | WDM3A
WDG3A WDG4 WDG4D WAG7 | 11
18 69 66 70 |
| 2 | Gooty | 182(Diesel)+ 30(Electric) | WDM3A WDG3A WDM3D WDM3F WDG4 WDG4D WDP4D WAG9 | 06 05 14 4 101 12 40 30 |
| 3 | Guntakal | 82(Diesel)+ 80(Electric) | WDM3A WDG3A WDM3D WDS6 WAG7 | 20 25 34 03 80 |
| 4 | Moula Ali | 71 Loco+ 33 DEMU | WDM3A WDG3A DEMU | 56 15 33 |
| 5 | Vijayawada | 23 Loco+ 45 DEMU | WDP1 WDG3A WDS6
DEMU | 0 18 05
45 |
WDG3A: 81 WDM3A: 93 WDM3D: 48 WDM3F: 4
WDG4: 170 WDG4D: 78 WDP4D:40 WAG9H: 30
WAG7: 150
| Loco type | Total Holdings |
| ALCO | 226 |
| HHP | 288 |
| WAG9H | 30 |
| WAG7 | 150 |
| Shunting Locos | 8 |
| Total Holding | 702 |
2. QUANTITATIVE PERFORMANCE: DIESEL
Performance statistics:
PARAMETER | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21* |
OUTAGE | Target | 314.9 | 308.13 | As per traffic requirement |
Actual | 325.1 | 312.53 | 238.2 |
Ineffective % | Target | 7.89 | 7.9 | 7.77 |
Actual | 5.25 | 5.54 | 7.94 |
Loco Failures (Ownership) | 442 | 353 | 141 |
Loco Failures per 100 loco/Month | 6.30 | 5.22 | 2.97 |
Punctuality Loss Ownership direct | No. of Direct Cases | 99 | 79 | 14 |
Direct Cases/100 Link loco / Month | 4.3 | 3.6 | 0.69 |
| | | | | |
* During the year 2020-21, due to Covid -19 pandemic Diesel utilization has been less.
3. Fuel pad at Gooty - Fuel pad, first of its kind in Indian Railways, provided at Gooty will facilitate attending WDG4 locomotives without having to touch home shed at Hubli for consumables like crank case oil, gear case oil, sand etc. It improves the availability of these loco for traffic.
4. 140 Diesel locos are provided with APU (Auxiliary Power unit) to save the fuel consumption when locos are kept in idle more than 30 minutes in yards.
5. 336 Diesel locos are equipped with REMMLOT (Remote monitoring of locomotive and trains) for monitoring health status of locos and location of locos worked.
6. 196 DEMU coaches are provided with Bio-toilet system.
7. Major Achievements towards certifications:
7.1 DLS/BZA secured 1st place in NEC award 2020 in workshop division- implemented energy conservative measures like 100% LED lights, BLDC fans, Star rated ACs & energy efficient welding plants which resulted in.
7.2 DLS/MLY has been certified with Lean six sigma on 26-03-2021 by M/s Anexas, Europe and is the 1stdiesel shed in IR to achieve.
Human resources are probably the most important asset of India. Effective utilisation of this asset is the responsibility of any organisation, especially for an organization like Indian Railways, which employs 16 Lakh persons to run their services. Training is an important tool to develop efficiency of human resources. The Mechanical Department of the South Central Railway has developed modern methods and facilities of training to train its supervisors & artisan staff.
Training to all cadres of railway staff is ensured not only at the time of entry into service, but periodical refresher courses are given to update the knowledge and to keep abreast with the latest developments in technology.
Supervisor Training Centre/ Lallaguda
This institute gives training to the supervisors of all units of Mechanical in particular in the functions of Technical, Managerial and Safety aspects of Maintenance and running of trains. This institute is conducting different course in the modules prescribed by the Railway Board. With the newly upgraded 4 new Labs facilities, the institute has introduced new courses such as Advanced Mechatronics, Air Brake System, Accident Management, Pneumatics & Hydraulics, Advanced Welding Technology, Induction course in Welding, Welding Refresher course, Data Base Management.
SCR has three major training establishments viz., STC (Supervisors’ Training Centre at Lallaguda) and DTTC (Diesel Traction Training Centre at Guntakal and Kazipet) besides 7 training centers are located at various field units and workshops viz. at KCG, RDM, BZA, GY, LGDS, TPTYS, RYPS.
At the Mechanical Department, great emphasis is laid on innovation and improvement, as the means to improve the quality of service. The thrust areas in this direction are:
1. Accreditation of ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems for workshops, diesel sheds and coaching depots.
2. Cleanliness - Due attention is given for cleanliness of coaches. Vijayawada and Guntakal stations on South Central Railway are nominated as Clean Train Stations. High pressure water jet cleaning plants have been introduced for effective cleaning of coaches.
3. Power points for Lap-top and Cell phone - To provide additional amenity to passengers for the first time, air-conditioned coaches are being provided with Electrical points for charging Lap-tops/ Mobile phones.
4. Rake-out – A system of turning out the coaches in the form of rakes has been introduced since August’05 in LGD & TPTY workshops.
5. Cutting gas (Mixture of catalyst & LPG) supplied by Bharat Petroleum has been inducted as a substitute for DA gas in the stripping shop of RYPS which is very economical as compared to DA.
Future plans:
1. Coaches upgraded with modern upgraded material, which will improve the coach aesthetics as well as 18 months POH instead of annually.
2. Increasing the carrying capacity of passengers in ACCN and GSCN coaches by retro fitment of longitudinal middle berths. This work is going to be taken up at all the C&W depots and Tirupathi & Lallaguda workshops.
3. OBHS: On Board Hygiene Services are going to be introduced in some long distance trains on this railway in which the interior of coaches including toilets will be cleaned through trained manpower using modern machines and material while train on run.
4. To improve the cleanliness standards, mechanized cleaning of coaches will be done at major coaching depots on this railway
5. All the trains passing through day light hours from Vijayawada railway station are being cleaned under the scheme of Clean Train Station. Similar facility will be introduced al Guntakal railway station.
6. LED based destination boards on trains for passenger’s convenience are going to be provided for all the integrated rake links.
7. It is planned to rehabilitate BOXN wagons into BOXNR (Stainless steel body) wagons at Rayanapadu workshop in order to upgrade carrying capacity.
8. It is planned to undertake the retro fitment of cushioned seats in all unreserved passenger coaches for the better comfortability.
9. The pantry cars are being upgraded with stainless steel panelling in the kitchen room to combat corrosion. In addition, these kitchens will be equipped with gas pipelines and 230V AC power supply.
10.Passenger carrying coaches are being provided with an emergency light as a safety measure in emergency.
