ICF coach
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coach | |
---|---|
![]() Yellow ("Utkrish" livery) and blue ("Blue" livery) ICF coaches. | |
Designer | Swiss Car & Elevator Manufacturing Co |
Built at | |
Constructed | 1955–2018 |
Scrapped | c.2000s–2009 (PNR) |
Number scrapped | 30 (PNR) |
Successor |
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Operators |
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Specifications | |
Car body construction | Corten Steel |
Car length | 22,297 millimetres (22.297 m) including buffers |
Width | 3,245 millimetres (3.245 m) |
Height | 4,025 millimetres (4.025 m) |
Floor height | 1,313 millimetres (1.313 m) |
Wheelbase | 14,783 millimetres (14.783 m) |
Maximum speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
Bogies | ICF Bogies |
Minimum turning radius | 152.4 m |
Coupling system | Buffers and chain coupler, AAR H Type Tightlock CBC coupling |
Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coach is a conventional passenger coach used on the majority of Indian Railways (IR) lines.[1] The Philippine National Railways (PNR) was a previous user of the cars, but retired the last of them in 2009.[1]
Indian Railways is currently[when?] phasing out ICF coaches and replacing them with newer LHB coaches are expected to address many of these issues.[1][2][3][clarification needed]
History
The design of the coach was developed by Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, Chennai, India in collaboration with the Swiss Car & Elevator Manufacturing Co, Schlieren, Switzerland in the 1950s.[citation needed] The design is also called the Schlieren design based on the location of the Swiss company.[citation needed]
Introduced in 1955 with a brick red livery, the standard ICF coaches were repainted blue in the 1990s.[4]
Project Utkrisht
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/First_AC_coach_of_Nauchandi_Express.jpg/220px-First_AC_coach_of_Nauchandi_Express.jpg)
In April 2008 the Indian Railways launched a refurbishment program called Utkrisht (transl. excellence) to refurbish and modernize ICF coaches in 640 rakes.[5]
With a total cost of ₹400 crore (US$90 million), the refurbishment included a new beige and maroon livery, LED fixtures, upgraded [[Composting toilet |bio-toilets]] with odour control, assistive Braille signage, and improved trash disposal.[6]
Retirement and Legacy
The last ICF coach was flagged off on 19 January 2018 by senior technician P. Bhaskar in the presence of Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani.[3] Indian Railways plans to retire all ICF coaches by 2029, replacing them with LHB and Vande Bharat trainsets.[7]
Central Railways is converting ICF coaches having a residual life of 5 years into accident relief and New Modified Goods-High Speed (NMGH) automobile carrier rakes. As of September 2023, 57 ICF coaches have been converted into NMGH rakes and 4 ICF coaches have been converted into accident relief trains.[8]
Image gallery
See also
- Bo-Bo – The wheel arrangement of ICF coaches as per the UIC classification
References
- ^ a b c "DNA Exclusive: Is It Time for Indian Railways to Tear Up Ageing Tracks and Old Machinery?". ZeeNews.India.com. Zee Media Corporation. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Ayyappan, V. (4 January 2021). "Leakage Found in ICF Coaches". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b Debroy, Bibek (9 February 2018). "A 70-Year-Old Vs a 30-Year-Old: LHB Coaches Perform Better than ICF Ones". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "The dying sight of uniform liveries on Indian trains". A Little Voice. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Introduction of New Trains". Press Information Bureau. Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Project Utkrisht: Indian Railways gives mail/express trains swanky revamp". The Economic Times. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Mishra, Twesh (19 July 2023). "Railways to have only LHB and Vande Bharat coaches in next 6 years: Official". The Economic Times. ET Bureau. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Central Railway converts ageing ICF coaches into accident relief trains". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.