Jamshedpur: The Railway Board has approved the construction of a state-of-the-art maintenance depot for Vande Bharat train coaches at Tatanagar railway station, Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato said on Friday. The new facility will be built at a cost of Rs 383.78 crore.Mahato said Railway Board director (projects and development) Sumit Kumar informed him of the approval through a formal communique. The new depot will come up in the Loco Colony area through expansion of Tatanagar’s existing coaching depot. Railway officials said the facility would substantially enhance maintenance capacity and support the operation of more high-speed trains in the future.At present, Vande Bharat Express trains operate from Tatanagar to Patna in Bihar and Berhampur in Odisha. “The project was cleared after reviewing the technical proposal which was submitted by Chakradharpur railway division of South Eastern Railways,” Mahato said. The facility will be equipped with infrastructure for technical inspection, routine maintenance and rapid washing of Vande Bharat Chair Car and Sleeper rakes.He added that the project would generate employment opportunities for local youths and provide a fillip to the area’s economy.Meanwhile, citing increasing traffic pressure at Tatanagar station, Mahato has also proposed the construction of four additional platforms and a loop line under the PM Gati Shakti scheme. The proposed project, estimated at Rs 482 crore, is under consideration by Railway Board.
