ICF, Chennai rolls out 75,000th rail coach

CHENNAI: The city-based Integral Coach Factory, which manufactures railway coaches, achieved a significant milestone on Thursday with the production of 75,000th coach.

Inaugurated by the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955, ICF, as it is popularly called, has been producing several coaches like Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs), High Speed Accident Relief Train, Air-conditioned Electric Multiple Units, Golden Chariot, Maharaja's Express, among many others.

Currently, it is engaged in manufacturing different variants of the latest semi-high speed 'Vande Bharat' coaches.

The 75,000th coach was the 69th rake of a Vande Bharat train-set rolled out of the production lines, a release said.

After inspecting the coach, the General Manager of ICF U Subba Rao congratulated the officers and employees on reaching the milestone.

Producing about 74 coaches a year in 1957-58, ICF manufactures nearly 3,000 per year. Besides serving the domestic market, it also exports to overseas.

ICF is now geared up to manufacture variants in Vande Bharat coaches like metro and sleeper coaches, it said.