Kolkata, May 25, 2024

To run 288 services on weekdays on the country’s oldest Metro Corridor, i.e. Metro authorities have taken all possible measures for proper maintenance of its rakes and ensured safe passenger movement.  For that, Metro presently has three modern maintenance depots at Noapara, Salt Lake and Joka.  Out of these three, Noapara shed is the oldest one.  All these maintenance depots of Kolkata Metro are equipped with modern machinery and highly skilled staff in order to execute the complex job of rake maintenance with perfection. 

 

Railways has already spent Rs. 2100 crore (at current market value) for these three maintenance depots.  Out of these three depots, the latest one has been built at Joka at a cost of Rs. 700 crore. A total of 567 staff have been working there in these depots to carry out the maintenance work of 46 Kolkata Metro rakes daily. Shri Kausik Mitra, Chief Public Relations Officer, Metro Railway remarked that 1.67 staff have been deployed for every coach for the maintenance work which is above the national average. Terming the news published in a newspaper recently that Metro has been suffering with maintenance staff crunch as false and baseless, he said that these staff are capable enough to do the maintenance work of the rakes properly.  It is due to their relentless endeavour that Metro Railway has itself been maintaining its rakes since 1984. 

 

Recently, a part of the media reported that the annual maintenance contract of ICF made rakes of Kolkata Metro has expired and that contract has not been renewed yet. Terming this news as misleading and factually incorrect, Shri Mitra added that all the 18 ICF rakes popularly known as Medha rakes are being maintained at Metro Carsheds by Metro staff itself.  Out of the 18 ICF rakes, two initial prototype rakes were commissioned in April, 2019 with comprehensive warranty of five years which expired in April, 2024. Remaining 16 ICF rakes were commissioned gradually after in Metro Railway with a warranty of two years.  Out of such 16 rakes, the two-year warranty period of two rakes expired in 2020.   Warranty period of two years of six rakes expired in 2021. Warranty of other two rakes expired in 2022.  In 2023, two years warranty of another three rakes also expired.  This year, two ICF rakes completed a two-year warranty period also.  The 18th rake will complete a two-year warranty on 18th June, 2024.  So, it is clear that the expiry of warranty period of such rakes has started from 2020 not now and Metro staff were maintaining all these rakes flawlessly after the expiry date of warranty without any fail. By virtue of their dedication and higher skill level, these staff with the help of available spares, cards and maintenance kits have been maintaining and keeping all electrical and mechanical components of Metro rakes in working conditions for forty years. No annual maintenance contract has been signed with outside agencies for the maintenance work of ICF rakes. The narrative of expiry of annual maintenance contract, as portrayed in a newspaper is also concocted, Shri Kausik Mitra added.

 

At present Metro Railway has taken up a special initiative to upgrade and replace old electrical assets for further improving its services. For that, more than Rs.1000 crore has been sanctioned by the Railway Board.  With this, steel third rail of Kolkata Metro Railway will be replaced by aluminum third rail like London, Moscow, Berlin, Munich and Istanbul Metros. Once completed, it will help to reduce energy consumption and ensure smoother movement of rakes.

 

In order to preserve water resources and bring more comforts to the commuters, Kolkata Metro is going to replace the old air conditioning system of stations from water chiller to air chiller also. In a nutshell, Kolkata Metro does not have any dearth of funds to execute its works related to maintenance, modernisation and expansion of the network. In near future, passengers are going to experience a new Metro once all the projects undertaken are commissioned, the Metro authority explained.

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SSS/25.5.24/…

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