In the Vijayawada Division, Railways Introduces a Novel Self-Propelled Inspection Car
The South Central Railway (SCR) zone has seen a technical improvement thanks to the self-propelling inspection vehicle (SPIC) that the Vijayawada Division has installed.
The inspection vehicle, which the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai produced for Rs 4.5 crore, would save locomotives from being utilised to evaluate railway infrastructure, hence lowering operating costs.
The locomotives that were freed up may now concentrate more effectively on pulling passenger trains.
On Tuesday, Vijayawada divisional railway manager Shivendra Mohan inaugurated the inspection car at the diesel loco depot. “SPIC would negate the use of locomotive for hauling inspection cars/saloons meant for inspection,” he stated in an official statement.
He pointed out that the 32-seat inspection vehicle would be useful for inspecting the division’s level crossings, overhead machinery, tracks, and stations.
In addition to these services, Mohan said that by using the extra locomotives to carry passenger trains, SPIC would save time, fuel, turnaround time, and resources.
The SPIC will be propelled by a 340 HP diesel-electric power pack, while the air conditioning, lighting, and fans will be powered by a 40 KVA DA set.
The inspection vehicle also has a stainless steel body coach, an aerodynamically shaped driving cab, outside CCTV cameras, an LED display on the driver’s desk, onboard WiFi for improved communication, direct and indirect LED inside lighting, and GPS capabilities.
