Western Railway has recently commissioned the Automatic Coach Washing Plants (ACWP) at Bandra Terminus Coaching Depot. The plant helps in minimizing time, water and manpower to complete the washing process of the entire train effectively. Due to the automation and efficiency of these plants, it is expected that this will lead to savings of approx. Rs. 50 lakhs per year in external washing cost for the depot.
The ACWP at Bandra Terminus Coaching Depot has automatic tracking of train movement and washing speed of 5-8 kmph. It requires a maximum of 60 ltr per coach of fresh water, which is 80% less as compared to manual washing. The fresh water intake of the plant is only 20% and 80% of the water used for washing is recycled in each washing cycle.
The plants are extremely efficient in utilization of time & water since the end-to-end cycle time for cleaning a 24-coach train is merely 10 minutes. The Automatic Coach Washing Plant is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option and a great step towards automation in train maintenance.
