Silchar Coaching Maintenance Depot completes 125 years

HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 22: Coaching Maintenance Depot, Silchar started way back in 1898 had completed its 125 years of functioning. This depot is connected with the starting of train services in the north-east since the British era. The Assam Bengal Railway route that reached Badarpur via Karimganj of the then Cachar district from the Sylhet district of pre-partitioned India and opened to traffic on December 4, 1896 was the true milestone in the history of communication for the NE region. It was the first time that a part of north-east was rail linked directly with the rest of India. This route later further extended upto Lumding via Haflong popularly called the Badarpur – Lumding Hill section. This necessitated setting up of a coaching depot for maintenance of coaches in the area.
Set up in 1898, it is the first coaching depot of the north-east. So, since 1898, the coaching depot of Silchar has been playing a very pivotal role for train operation during both pre and post partition era in the entire north-east. Initially it started functioning as a metre gauge coaching depot. Later on in the year 2015, it was converted to a broad gauge coaching depot. It is one of the oldest coaching maintenance depots in India built under Assam Bengal Railway.
Presently, this depot is one of the three coach maintenance depots under Lumding division of NF Railway. It plays an important role for Assam – Mizoram and Assam – Manipur Railway connectivity.
The depot presently has a covered shed of 85m length x 18m width equipped with upgraded maintenance infrastructure having two maintenance bays and two examination pits. It plays a vital role in maintenance of all local and long-distance trains that operate from Silchar Railway Station. Coaching Maintenance Depots are primarily responsible for maintenance of rolling stock; passenger carrying vehicles and other coaching vehicles like DEMU, EMU, etc.