Western Railway has constructed a combined wagon shed at Hapa Yard, Rajkot Division at a cost of ₹35.41 crore.
This new facility will have a capacity to repair 56 wagons per day, up from 12 wagons per day. The project has been completed in record time by the Gati Shakti Unit, Rajkot.
At present, about 95 percent of the work has been completed in one and a half years, and the remaining work will be completed shortly, said a statement from Western Railway’s Rajkot division.
Commenting on the new facility Divisional Railway Manager, Rajkot, Giriraj Kumar Meena said “this new facility will significantly improve the speed and efficiency of wagon repair and maintenance at Hapa Yard. Wagons will become fit faster and be available sooner for freight transportation. This will reduce congestion in the yard and ensure smoother train operations.”
With the commissioning of this new facility, inspection, repair and maintenance of freight wagons such as BTPN, BCN and BTPLN will now be carried out in a faster, safer and more systematic manner.
Significant Increase in wagon repair capacity:
The facility will be able to repair 56 wagons per day as against the earlier number of 12 per day. Similarly, ROH (Routine Overhauling) outturn is expected to increase from 70 wagons per month to over 125 wagons per month.
Under the new arrangement, sick wagons can now be made fit within approximately 3 days, whereas earlier it took around 10 days on average. This will reduce congestion in the yard and significantly improve the availability of wagons for freight loading. Several technical inspections and overhauling activities will also be carried out locally, saving both time and cost.
Facilities available at the wagon shed
The new shed measures 172 meters × 25 meters, with a maximum height of 16.5 meters has three railway tracks inside for wagon maintenance.
Inspection gantries have been provided along line numbers 1 and 3 for inspecting the upper parts of wagons. There are inspection platforms at every 17-meter interval, facilitating staff to safely access the top of wagons.
The new shed has been connected from the Rajkot side through Line No. 22, while the AC Loco Trip Shed has been provided with separate electrified connectivity through Line No. 24.
A modern administrative building measuring 78 meters × 9 meters has been constructed with 10 rooms on the ground floor and 12 rooms on the first floor.
There are separate facilities for women employees, separate parking area, service road (CC road), and an underground water tank in addition to the existing overhead tank, ensuring water supply to both the wagon shed and the administrative building.
