Patna: The general manager of East Central Railway carried out an inspection of key railway infrastructure in Bihar on Friday, reviewing track safety, maintenance standards and redevelopment work along the Patna–Natesar rail section.
Chhatrasal Singh undertook a window-trailing inspection on January 16, travelling via Bakhtiyarpur, Harnaut, Rajgir and Natesar, and returning to Patna through Daniyawan and Jatdumri. During the journey, he examined the condition of railway tracks, bridges and other assets, directing officials to strengthen maintenance practices to ensure safe train operations.
The inspection began at the coach repair workshop in Harnaut, where Singh reviewed operations across several critical units, including the LHB wheel and bogie shops, the CMT laboratory, HRS shop, hot and cold chambers, AC duct cleaning facility and AB shop. Officials said particular attention was paid to safety-related work.,
A 250 kW solar power plant—the first of its kind at the workshop—and an AMDBS maintenance unit were inaugurated during the visit, with the facilities formally launched by a female employee in the presence of senior officials.
Railway authorities said the Harnaut workshop has completed periodic overhauls of 648 coaches so far in the current financial year, including both ICF and LHB coaches across air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned categories. While the Railway Board has set a monthly target of 73 coaches, the workshop has been overhauling an average of 79 coaches a month, exceeding the target by six.
Later, Singh visited Rajgir station to review redevelopment work being carried out under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. He assessed construction progress with officials and instructed them to ensure timely completion while maintaining high quality standards. The upgraded station is expected to feature a modern design and improved passenger amenities.
The inspection was attended by the divisional railway manager of Danapur division, Vinod Kumar, along with officers from the railway headquarters, construction department and the Danapur division.
