ECoR has decided to go in for installation of Automatic Coach Washing Plant at Puri and Visakhapatnam Coach Maintenance Depots. For this, East Coast Railway has already placed orders with COFMOW (Central Organisation for Modernization of Workshops), New Delhi, an Autonomous Organization under Ministry of Railways. The estimated cost of each Automatic Coach Washing plant is approximately Rs. 2 Crores. Tenders have been finalized by COFMOW and it is expected that the plant would be set up at Puri latest by December 2019. Similar position expected for Visakhapatnam also. In fact, the Firm has already completed site visit at Puri. These Plants are being processed under Environment Management Programmes. It is expected that there will be less fresh water consumption in the cleaning of Coaches. The coach exterior will get properly cleaned. It will also clean dust, dirt and other such deposits. The cleaning of coach/ train will be done while passing through a nominated line of the coach maintenance depot. While at present, the coaches are being cleaned in static or stationary position. A suitable alkaline detergent compatible with the body and paint of the coach will be used for washing.
There will an effluent treatment plan which will treat the water for its repeated use, thereby conserving the precious water. In this mode of operation, huge brushes would be fixed to various machines which will be designed in such a manner that they clean the coach body side walls. It is expected that each empty train rake would be cleaned in about 20 Minutes time. There would be a number of sensors which would work as and when there is movement in the nominated line through the plant.
Ultrasonic devices and Photoelectric cells would be provided in the set up.