NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The rail coach factory in Kapurthala has witnessed a significant increase in the production of LHB AC coaches and MEMU coaches. In the fiscal year 2022-23, the factory produced 1114 LHB AC coaches, a notable rise from the 471 coaches produced in 2020-21. Similarly, the production of MEMU coaches went from three to 213 in the same fiscal year.
The surge in the production of MEMU coaches was driven by a high demand from zonal railways. In 2021-22, the factory manufactured 22 coaches, and this number was increased to 213 in 2022-23.
On the other hand, the production of LHB non-AC coaches faced some challenges. The factory manufactured 1500 coaches in 2020-21, 1862 coaches in 2021-22, and 1651 coaches in 2022-23, indicating a decrease in production. Overall, the production rate in 2022-23 decreased compared to the previous year.
According to railway officials, the decrease in production in 2022-23 can be attributed to a major shortfall in the supply of trade items. The production was adversely affected from April to June 2022, and there was a serious shortage of wheels from May to September 2022. These factors contributed to the lower production compared to the previous year, which had set a record as the highest ever.
