Indian Railways: Sambalpur Division to get routine overhaul depot by November 2021, largely for alumina carriage wagons

Indian Railways initiative for Sambalpur Railway Division to get a Routine Overhaul (ROH) depot near Sarla railway station needs to be accomplished by November 2021.

Pradeep Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Sambalpur, East Coast Railway said: “Work on the ROH project began in March this year but had to be stopped due to the lockdown. Subsequently, work resumed on April 27. We have set a target to complete the work by November 2021.”

The overhaul depot is being developed over land measuring 1400x56 metres at an estimated cost of INR 90 crore.

The Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) are executing the project. Presently, the wagons are routed to a depot in Visakhapatnam for overhauling. The upcoming depot near Sarla station will have the magnitude to maintain 100 wagons per month.

Initially, the overhaul depot was proposed to be established near Maneswar railway station but the location was changed given the advantage of Sarla station, as it is located along the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda railway line.

Aluminium industries like Vedanta Limited in Jharsuguda and Aditya Aluminium Limited in Sambalpur are located along the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda railway line. The depot near Sarla will largely overhaul alumina wagons.

Generally, wagons require complete overhauling in 18 months to ensure safety.