IIT Kharagpur to Develop High Speed Trains
Keeping its pace with Government’s ‘make in India’ policy Bangalore based BEML limited, a ‘Miniratna company that manufacture of Rail Coaches and S
<p>Keeping its pace with Government’s ‘make in India’ policy Bangalore based BEML limited, a ‘Miniratna company that manufacture of Rail Coaches and Spare Parts and Mining Equipment has approached railway research Centre of IIT-Kharagpur for help with specific problems that involves both high-speed trains and metro trains.
IIT Kharagpur is the only IIT that has a railway research centre, set up by the Indian Railways to help develop R&D for next-generation passenger and freight trains.
This railway centre in the IIT has eight departments with 100 faculty members working together to provide solutions to problems faced by the Indian Railways. The centre has already developed a technology to improve the speed of trains from the existing maximum of 130kmph to 200kmph.
It is to be noted that IIT-Kharagpur has developed new age bogeys for both categories of trains, which will now be modified according to BEML specifications.
Right now bogeys of the high-speed trains are imported from Korea and China. With the government's "make in India" stance, the focus has shifted and BEML is trying to reduce its dependence on imported parts.
"we are looking at a series of changes like lighter material to build new age train cars, better seating, reduced jerking and, most importantly, advanced train control systems. Many changes are in the offing following international standards that we want to follow," said an official of R&D at BEML in Bangalore.
The IIT-Kharagpur has already made trains with 200kmph and aiming for 250kmph in next.
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