In India, the railway equipment industry was established as a ‘Peninsular Locomotive Company’ in the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand in 1921. Later, it was named ‘Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO)’.
This is one of the major topics under the general knowledge section, and the location was often asked about in various competitive exams. For example, where is the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) located? The answer is Perumbur, Chennai.
Indian Railways has different manufacturing units for all railway parts all over India. Here is a list of the Railway Production Units in India, along with their locations.
List of Indian Railway Production Units and location
Locomotives Production Units of Indian Railways
| Production Units | Location |
|---|---|
| Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) | Chittaranjan, Asansol, West Bengal |
| Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) • Formerly known as Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) |
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
| Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) | Marhowrah, Bihar |
| Electric Locomotive Factory (ELF) • Joint Venture of Indian Railways and Alstom manufactures electric locomotives. |
Madhepura, Bihar |
| Diesel Loco Modernisation Works (DMW) • Formerly known as Diesel Component Works (DMW) |
Patiala, Punjab |
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Wheel and Axle Plant Unit of Indian Railways
| Production Units | Location |
|---|---|
| Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) / Wheel Axel Plant | Bangalore, Karnataka |
| Rail Wheel Plant (RWP) | Bela in Chhapra, Bihar |
Rolling Stock Production Unit of Indian Railways
| Production Units | Location |
|---|---|
| Rail Coach Factory (RCF) | Kapoorthala, Punjab |
| Integral Coach Factory (ICF) | Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Modern Coach Factory | Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh |
| Coach Manufacturing Unit | Haldia, West Bengal |
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Oldest railway workshop in Asia
- The oldest railway workshop in Asia is the Jamalpur Locomotive Workshop.
- Established on February 8, 1862, it was the first full-fledged railway workshop facility in India, started by the East Indian Railway Company (EIR).
- Located in Jamalpur, Bihar, it has the distinction of being the largest and the oldest locomotive repair workshop with the most diversified manufacturing activities on the Indian Railways.
- The workshop initially focused on repairing locomotives and assembling them from salvaged parts.
- By the turn of the 20th century, Jamalpur Workshop had progressed to producing its own locomotives, with the first one being CA 764 Lady Curzon in 1899.
- It also established the first railway foundry in India in 1893 and had a boiler workshop for repairing and building boilers.
- In addition to various repairs, the Jamalpur Workshop undertakes the repair and production of permanent-way fixtures, manufactures wheel sets for coaches and wagons, and has produced several rail cranes since 1961.
- It was also a significant supplier of cast-iron sleepers and has produced high-capacity synchronized lifting jacks known as Jamalpur jacks.
- The workshop’s historical significance is further highlighted by its early establishment of an iron and steel foundry, making it quite self-sustaining, and commissioning the first Rolling Mill in Asia.
Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur
- PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur, Maharashtra, along with various projects in Maharashtra.
- He dedicated 506 railway projects, including a wagon repair workshop at Badnera and a Vande Bharat chair car maintenance-cum-workshop depot in Pune.
- These projects were launched during PM Modi’s visit to Gujarat on March 12, 2024.
- The Marathwada Rail Coach Factory is crucial for supplying Vande Bharat Train sets, with a 16-car formation, to the Indian Railways.
- The factory is equipped with advanced machinery and plants to revolutionize rail manufacturing in the region.
- It will provide direct employment to about 1,300 individuals and indirect employment to over 10,000 people through outsourced activities.
- The first phase of the project, costing ₹675.79 crore and spread across 110 acres, will manufacture 120 coaches of Vande Bharat trains.
- The wagon repair workshop at Badnera will serve freight depots in Bhusaval and Nagpur, improving wagon availability.
Upcoming Locomotives manufacturing unit of Indian Railways
• Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Dahod workshop for the manufacturing unit to produce 9000 HP locomotives in Gujarat.
• It will be Gujarat’s first locomotive production unit of Indian Railways.
• The 9000 HP locomotives have a Digital Tracking System (Kavach), and an Automatic Train Protection System.
• These locos are to be manufactured using green energy and to have a green manufacturing tag.
• The 9000 HP locomotive is able to drag a load of the 4500-tonne cargo load. The first locomotive is projected to turn out from the factory in the first quarter of 2024
Frequently Asked Questions on Railway Production Units
Indian Railways has three passenger coach manufacturing units namely,
Integral Coach Factory Perambur (ICF)
Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala (RCF)
Modern Coach Factory Raebareli (MCF).
ICF and RCF are manufacturing both conventional and LHB coaches.
Indian railways have 11 manufacturing units.
1. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) (West Bengal)
2. Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) (Uttar Pradesh)
3. Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) (Bihar)
4. Diesel Loco Modernisation Works (DMW) (Punjab)
5. Wheel Axel Plant (WAP) (Karnataka)
6. Rail Wheel Plant (RWP) (Bihar)
7. Rail Coach Factory (RCF)(Punjab)
8. Integral Coach Factory (ICF) (Tamil Nadu)
9. Modern Coach Factory (MCF) (Uttar Pradesh)
10. Coach Manufacturing Unit (CMU) (West Bengal)
11. Electric Locomotive Factory (ELF) (Bihar)
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, is India’s largest railway production unit. The coach manufacturing factory has recently beaten last year’s outturn of 3,262 coaches in just 9 months and 13 days.
Rail Wheel Factory (Formerly known as Wheel and Axle Plant) is situated in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Answer: Indian railways have 4 locomotives manufacturing units namely,
1. Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) (West Bengal)
2. Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) (Uttar Pradesh)
3. Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) (Bihar)
4. Electric Locomotive Factory (ELF) (Bihar)
The largest and oldest locomotive repair workshop is Jamalpur Workshop, Bihar.
Jamalpur Workshop, Bihar was the first railway workshop in India.
Jamalpur, Munger, Bihar
Palakkad, Kerala
Gujarat
The railway line between Gandhidham and Tuna-Tekra Port in Gujarat is India’s first railway line built with private sector participation.
The Diesel locomotive works (Now Banaras Locomotive Works) are in Varanasi.
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Related Topics
- Indian Railway Zones And Their Headquarters PDF with Divisions
- Longest Railway Platform in India 2024 [Latest Updates]
- List of Railway Production Units in India [2024]: Complete Details
