South Central Railway to make in-house point machines for railways

The South Central Railway (SCR) has taken a crucial step with the Signal and Telecommunications (S&T) workshop at Mettuguda by domestic manufacturing of point machines needed in Railways. According to a report, the S&T workshop has received approval for manufacturing and supplying point machines ranging between 143 mm and 220 mm. It is an initiative towards self-sustainability by the railway production units. The point machines are a safety measure in changing the operations of train movement from one line to another by securing the relevant points, ensuring the least vibrations in the trains. Previously, point machines were manufactured at just two locations of Indian Railways and the rest by private agencies. The workshop is the third location in Indian Railways, which can manufacture and supply point machines, which will make the availability of instruments cheaper. The workshop will be less dependent on external agencies. It will speed up the tracks using 220 mm point machines, which comes with a clamp lock for providing safety to the trains operating at higher speeds. The workshop can produce 3,250 units of point machines each year of 143 mm and 220 mm. The production will meet the requirement of the SCR, apart from supplying to the zones. The lifetime of point machines is generally 12 years of 3,00,000 operations. General Manager of SCR, Gajanam Mallya, appreciated the officers and the staff of the workshop who have been involved in the in-house manufacturing unit. He added that these point machines by S&T workshop, Mettuguda reflect the commitment of the SCR towards encouraging self-sustainability goals of Made in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Image Source Also read: Railways asks PSUs to compete with private firms for rail contracts