What you have said is Correct.....
But at the same time it is also true that Rail Board has the directive to switch over to 100% stainless steel coaches(i.e LHB Coaches) and it has been circulated to the major two coach factories i.e ICF and RCF. Accordingly more than 150crore has been allotted to ICF for preparing it's LHB Unit and the preparation of this unit is in the final stage and please see the following report. You can understand that in future not Geetanjali Exp but many other trains too will regain it's glory and this will inevitably happen.
Report:(published...
more... in "The Hindu" on May 30, 2014)
Title: ICF to make more German-tech coaches
Safer, more comfortable LHB coaches will be introduced for more trains soon
Production of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches, manufactured with German assistance, will increase at Integral Coach Factory in Perambur, in the coming years.
The coaches are used on the double-decker express train between Chennai and Bangalore, and in the future, they will be seen in other long-distance trains too.
Last financial year, the 59-year-old factory rolled out 25 coaches. ICF has set a target of 100 LHB coaches for the current financial year and 300 for 2015-16.
Official sources at ICF said the technology transfer from Germany to India was made more than a decade ago, and initially, only airconditioned coaches were manufactured at Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, for high-speed express trains, mostly the Shatabdi.
With Indian Railways’ engineers mastering the technology, it was decided to use the same technology for designing and fabricating second-class coaches as well.
Officials said the manufacture of LHB coaches began at ICF last year and the first batch was rolled out in January. Despite the much higher cost of manufacturing LHB coaches, they have plenty of advantages, the most important one being safety.
Officials said LHB coaches, unlike conventional ones, would not pile up over other coaches in the event of an accident because of the ‘anti-climbing technology’ embedded in the coach links.
The ‘pneumatic braking system’ was advanced making it possible to bring them to a halt quickly, even at high speeds.
The combination of stainless steel body and aluminium interiors makes the coaches much lighter, making it possible to attain speeds in excess of 150 kilometres per hour. Further, the coaches have a lifespan of 35 years, 10 more than the conventional coaches. Though they are very expensive, costing approximately Rs. 1.5 crore each, officials said there would be long-term benefits as the ‘per-kilometre cost’ would come down significantly.
Second-class LHB coaches are 23.54 metres long (2.2 metres more than the conventional coaches), have additional width and 80 berths.
With a thrust on manufacturing LHB coaches, a sum in excess of Rs. 150 crore has been allotted to the furnishing unit at ICF, part of a major expansion plan.
The coaches cost about Rs. 1.5 crore each but they have a longer lifespan and reduced ‘per-kilometre cost’.