For the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has asked for rakes that resemble those of Vande Bharat, which would travel between Mumbai and Gandhinagar.
The IRCTC has requested a Vande Bharat rake for the train in a letter to the Railways, highlighting the rakes’ poor condition.
stated the IRCTC letter addressed to the Railway Board and the Western Railways,”One of the Vande Bharat rakes be allocated for the Mumbai Ahmedabad Tejas Express with a composition of 16 coaches,”
Since July, the IRCTC has written letters to the Railway Board and the Western Railways, the zone in which the train runs, requesting their assistance in resolving concerns such as malfunctioning bio-toilets, LCD screens, and water leaking in coaches.
“This will not only put an end to passenger complaints about deficiencies being received especially during the monsoon, rather it shall also solve the woes of the mechanical department both in maintenance as well as flexibility in spares management,” it added.
A rake is a grouping of coupled passenger coaches, freight waggons, or railcars (excluding the locomotive) that move in unison.
The letters also stated that the train was being maintained on an “ad hoc basis in a piecemeal way” which is not befitting the premium train service.
“Coaches are in a deteriorated condition due to non-maintenance, thereby tarnishing the image of brand Tejas and giving rise to complaints from passengers,” another letter read.
In the latest letter earlier this month, the IRCTC has raised the issue of no support for the maintenance of high-end equipment on board by the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) after the expiry of the annual maintenance contract (AMC).
It said the IRCTC was running the train despite the “substandard rakes and maintenance issues”.
“Even the rake allotted is reportedly a pilot manufacture of Tejas rake by RCF (Railway Coach Factory) which was not very successful; all subsequent Tejas rakes running now have been manufactured at MCF (Modern Coach Factory). There is no OEM support,” the letter added.