The South Central Railways zone has decided to set up three modern maintenance depots for Vande Bharat trains. The depots will provide top-notch maintenance for these semi-high speed trains. One depot will be at Tellapur, another at the upcoming fourth passenger terminal at Cherlapally, and another at Tirupati. About Rs 10 crore has been allocated for the maintenance of the VB trains. Currently, maintenance is being carried out at Secunderabad and Kacheguda Coaching Yards, Vijayawada, and Tirupati.
The first Vande Bharat Express train started its commercial operation from January last year. It has primary maintenance in Visakhapatnam and other end maintenance in Secunderabad. The second VB Express has primary maintenance in Secunderabad and other end maintenance in Tirupati. The third Vande Bharat Express has primary maintenance in Kacheguda and other end maintenance in Yeshwantpur. The fourth Vande Bharat Express has primary maintenance in Chennai Central and other end maintenance in Vijayawada. The fifth VB Express has primary maintenance in Mumbai and other end maintenance in Jalna. Along with the three proposed depots, primary maintenance is also coming up in Jalna.
The proposed depots will have a heavy repair shed, an EOT crane for coach lifting, and a dedicated washing line. Once approved, construction will begin soon. Daily examinations are carried out for four hours at Secunderabad and Kacheguda, while weekly maintenance is done once a week. Staff have been sent to various places for training on handling Vande Bharat Express Trains maintenance activities.
