Prabhu to attend centenary celebrations of Matunga workshop

The carriage workshop set up in suburban Matunga in 1915, which have many firsts to its credit, will celebrate its centenary year tomorrow in the presence of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Prabhu will also lay the foundation stone for a foot over bridge (FOB) at Currey Road station on central line, a senior Central Railway officer said today.
The workshop, set up as a repair workshop for broad gauge and narrow gauge coaches and wagons of the erstwhile Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railway, is spread over 35 hectares including a covered area of about 11 hectares, he said.
"The workshop now carries out periodical overhaul (POH) and heavy corrosion repairs of main line as well as Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches," a statement issued by the Central Railway said.

"New cars, servants bogie, brake and luggage, restaurant cars to standard designs were built at Matunga in 1932-33. The workshop is the first zonal workshop celebrating 100 years of glorious service," it stated.
New coach construction activity was started at the workshop in 1937-38, and in 1941-42 coaches were exported to foreign countries as per requirement.

"It is the only workshop to have been nominated in 1953 to manufacture the President twin-car Saloon based at New Delhi and thereafter regularly doing its POH," it stated.
In 2008-09, the Railway Board sanctioned modernisation of the Matunga workshop for augmentation of maintenance facilities.

"First fully air-conditioned Rail Ambulance of Indian Railways was designed in this workshop and in May 2015 was approved for transporting injured passengers from accident site. It is equipped with the state-of-art facilities like operation theatre, ECG machine etc. And can accommodate 22 patients," the statement said.
The workshop recently designed a 'Green Toilet' in line with 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.
"These coaches are provided with twelve toilets, four bathrooms and two urinals. Utilisation of these toilets has helped in maintaining hygiene at station premises," it stated.