Railways to induct 8 new OHE inspection and maintenance cars for safe rail operation

15 February, New Delhi

With a view to take inspection of electrical over head equipment to a more modern level for ensuring safe rail operation, the Railways has decided to introduce eight Wheeled Diesel Electric Over Head Equipment (OHE) inspection and maintenance car on its network. Research Design Standard Organisation (RDSO), the research arm of Railway Ministry, had already finalised the specifications for the prototype of these cars, a statement said here Wednesday.

Under the first phase, Railways would be procuring 45 OHE inspection and maintenance cars for operation on broad gauge electrified routes on 25kV AC. The Ministry had already placed contract with two firms — 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 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 Wheeled inspection and maintenance OHE car uses the power generated by 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 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 likely to be completed by June 2019. In Phase-II another tender for 53 of such vehicles is also under finalisation and the contract would be awarded soon.