Coach Factories
Coach Factories
Key Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 1st Coach Factory of India | Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur, Chennai – 1955 |
| Latest Green-field Coach Factory | Latur (Maharashtra) – commissioned 2022 |
| Largest Coach Factory in India | ICF Chennai (capacity ≈ 4,000 coaches/year) |
| Export-oriented Coach Factory | Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala |
| Stainless-steel Coach Pioneer | RCF Kapurthala (since 1999) |
| Self-propelled Coach Unit | ICF – EMU/MEMU/DEMU & Metro cars |
| World’s largest CNG-Bio-toilet retrofit plant | RCF Kapurthala |
| Factory with LHB design patent indigenised | ICF (LHB shell & bogie) |
| Green-certified factory (IGBC Platinum) | RCF Kapurthala |
| Factory dedicated to Metro coaches | BEML, Bangalore (under MRVC) |
| Factory for Vande Bharat type train-sets | ICF (Train-18 / Vande Bharat Express) |
| Factory with aluminium-body shop | Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli |
| Factory commissioned under PPP | Sonipadra (Gujarat) – Alstom (for semi-high-speed) |
| Factory with robotic welding lines | MCF Raebareli |
| Factory producing stainless-steel LHB shells | RCF Kapurthala & MCF Raebareli |
| Factory with in-house bio-digester plant | ICF |
| Factory exporting to SE Asia & Africa | RCF |
| Factory with solar-roof top (10 MW) | ICF |
| Factory with CNC wheel lathe shop | MCF |
| Factory with longest painting tunnel (140 m) | RCF |
Important Points
- ICF is the mother unit; all other coach units were subsequently spun off or built with ICF technology.
- LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) design coaches are now the Indian Railways standard – lighter, safer, 160 km/h certified.
- RCF Kapurthala was the first to switch completely to stainless-steel LHB shells (corrosion-free life 35+ years).
- MCF Raebareli was set up in 2012 to decongest ICF & RCF; fully automated, zero-discharge unit.
- Latur factory is the first to be 100 % LED-lit & solar-powered (12 MW rooftop).
- Vande Bharat Express (Train-18) is designed, developed and manufactured entirely at ICF without foreign collaboration.
- All new factories are being built with “Green Factory” norms – rain-water harvesting, STP, zero liquid discharge.
- Coach production target under “Mission 4000” – 4000 LHB coaches per factory per annum by 2026.
- Aluminium-body coaches (lighter by 2 t) are being piloted at MCF for 250 km/h semi-high-speed trains.
- Indian Railways plans 8 more coach factories by 2030 – Kolar (Karnataka), Bhimavaram (AP), Gonda (UP), etc.
- 100 % indigenous content in LHB coaches achieved; only couplers imported earlier now made at Durgapur.
- Women’s participation: ICF has 22 % female supervisors – highest among railway production units.
Practice MCQs
1. Which is the oldest coach factory of Indian Railways?
Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur, Chennai (1955)
2. The stainless-steel LHB coach shells were first produced at –
RCF Kapurthala
3. India’s first green-field coach factory commissioned in 2022 is located at –
Latur, Maharashtra
4. Which factory manufactured the Vande Bharat Express (Train-18)?
ICF Chennai
5. The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) is situated in –
Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh
6. Which of the following factories has IGBC Platinum green certification?
RCF Kapurthala
7. The aluminium-body coach prototype for 250 km/h is being developed at –
MCF Raebareli
8. Which factory has the world’s largest CNG-bio-toilet retrofit plant?
RCF Kapurthala
9. The target of “Mission 4000” is to produce how many LHB coaches per factory per annum?
4000
10. Which of the following is an export-oriented coach factory of Indian Railways?
RCF Kapurthala
BETA
