Indian Railways Boosts Production of Electric Coaches: Addressing MEMU Coach Shortages

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported the production of 593 electrical multiple unit coaches during 2024-25. Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham raised concerns about MEMU services disruption due to insufficient coaches. Vaishnaw clarified that production is aligned with traffic needs and considers production capacities and supply constraints.

In a recent session of the Rajya Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disclosed the production of 593 electrical multiple unit and mainline multiple electrical unit coaches during the fiscal year 2024-25, up to November. These insights formed part of a written response on ministerial proceedings last Friday.

The revelation came in response to Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham's inquiry about potential disruptions in MEMU services, which are allegedly caused by an insufficient supply of coaches. Addressing these concerns, Vaishnaw assured that all available MEMU coaches are actively utilized as per their scheduled operations.

Minister Vaishnaw also elucidated on the prioritization process for coach production, emphasizing that manufacturing plans for various coach types, including Linke-Hofmann-Busch and Vande Bharat, are tailored according to traffic demands while accommodating the railway production units' capacity and supply chain limitations.

(With inputs from agencies.)