Started in 1952, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is located in Chennai, India. Its primary products are rail coaches. Most of the coaches manufactured are supplied to the Indian Railways, but it has also manufactured coaches for railway companies in other countries, including Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, Zambia, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Nigeria, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Angola and Sri Lanka. The coach factory provides primarily for the Indian Railways, a number of different coaches - first and second class coaches, pantry and kitchen cars, luggage and brake vans, self-propelled coaches, electric, diesel and mainline electric multiple units (EMU, DMU, MEMU), metro coaches and Diesel Electric Tower Cars (DETC), Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMV), Inspection Cars (RA), Fuel Test Cars, Track Recording Cars, the latest coaches are for the Deccan Odyssey (a luxury train of the Indian Railways), and coaches for MRVC (world class coaches). However the air-conditioned train-sets manufactured by ICF for Kolkata Metro have repeatedly broken down causing disruption of services causing immense problem to commuters. According to newspaper reports the air-conditioned rakes have been sent to Kolkata without conducting dry runs because the Integral Coach Factory does not have third rail testing facilities.
The Metro authorities have told ICF that they will not take delivery of any more AC rakes, unless the 72 defects identified by them till now were rectified. These defects were detected after operating the five AC rakes the Metro has received from ICF so far.Of the 72 defects detected in the AC rakes, major ones are ~ fragile pneumatic pipes used in the braking system that often result in brake-binding; use of low-capacity inverters that are failing to provide adequate power back-up to the air-conditioning apparatus inside the rakes and the problem of “no-motoring” in which a rake does not get traction to move forward.
There are reportedly some recurring issues with the recently introduced AC coaches of the Kolkata Metro. Recently, one AC rake malfunctioned after the diode valve located in the undercarriage came into contact with water and shorted. Metro Rail and ICF engineers are working to address this general problem.
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