Odisha: ECoR commissions automatic coach washing plant at Puri

Bhubaneswar: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) commissioned an automatic coach washing plant at the Puri Coaching Depot. The coaching depot senses the motion of incoming train, helps to minimize time, water and manpower complete the washing process of entire trains effectively. The plant operates automatically upon sensing the movement of the train rake through the unit.

A full rake will take maximum 5-7 minutes for complete washing. Washing takes place in many stages. In the first stage, pre-wetting is done by treated water followed by detergent spray and water brushing. It is then followed by disc brush cleaning followed by soft water cleaning. At the end, RO spray is done.

The Automatic Coach Washing Plant is equipped with a captive effluent treatment plant where the used water is treated and the final discharge from the ETP meets the environmental norms. The unit has a water treatment plant, ETP, control room for central monitoring. It uses vertical and disc brushes, high nozzle and air blower. Due to the automation and efficiency of the plant, it is expected that this will lead to save revenue in external washing cost for the depot.

The plant utilises less water compared to manual washing resulting into a savings of huge million liters of fresh water every year. It was first commissioned in November 2020.

The Automatic Coach Washing Plant is an environment friendly and cost-effective option and a great step towards automation in train maintenance.