EIG clearance mandatory for engine-less trains

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 2

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Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav has indicated that all future indigenous engine-less semi-high-speed train sets will go for mandatory EIG (Electrical Inspector to the Government) certification, as a 25,000 kWH cable passes through passenger coaches.

Downplaying the turf war between the mechanical and electrical wings of the Railways over the EIG clearance, Yadav said it was not about differences, rather an opinion “expressing concerns on safety”.

“For the train set in hand, which will be launched soon, we have got the EIG inspection and approval. All basic safety and security facilities are in place. There is always a scope for further improvement,” Yadav said.

He maintained that from now on all new Train 18, which can run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph on the existing track and are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, would undergo EIG inspection. “This is being necessitated, as a 25,000 kWH cable passes through the coaches,” he added.

Earlier, it is learnt that the Railways missed three possible launching dates of December 25, December 29 and January 13 for Train 18, as it failed to resolve a tussle between the mechanical and electrical departments of the national transporter. The latter was insisting on an EIG certification for Train 18 before launch, while the former has refused to oblige, terming the demand as “intrusion” and something “not required as per the law.”