Indian Railways has entered into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BHEL for setting up a modern Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) coach factory at Bhilwara in Rajasthan to cater to the growing demand for faster local and suburban trains. The MEMU trains equipped with higher acceleration capacity are expected to move faster on electrified tracks and would benefit daily commuters.
According to the MoU, new MEMU coaches will be designed to have toilets and comfortable seating arrangements. At present, railways have 160 MEMU trains, while the demand for shorter routes have increased manifold. There will be a requirement of about 9000 MEMU coaches in the next 10 years. So there is a need to step up production of more MEMU coaches.
BHEL is already into manufacturing of diesel and electric locomotives at its plant in Jhansi and has an annual capacity to make around 50 engines.
