Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory and launched various other railway projects in Maharashtra, officials said.
As part of launch of the projects via video conference from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, he also inaugurated five Jan Aushadi Kendras (for affordable and quality generic medicines) at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai), Manmad (Nashik), Pimpri, Solapur and Nagbhir (Chandrapur).
He also inaugurated four rail coach restaurants at Nashik Road, Akola, and Mumbai's Andheri and Borivali stations, the railway officials said.
The PM inaugurated and dedicated to the nation 506 projects, including the Latur-based Marathwada Rail Coach Factory, a wagon repair workshop at Badnera and Vande Bharat chair car maintenance-cum-workshop depot in Pune, they said.
The Marathwada Rail Coach Factory will ensure supply of the Vande Bharat Train sets (16 car formation) to the Indian Railways in co-ordination with its technology partners, the Central Railway (CR) officials said.
All departments of the factory are equipped with the latest machinery and plants, they said.
It will ensure development of the entire Marathwada region by bringing a whole new set of vendors to supply various components to this unit, said a railway release.
It will provide direct employment to around 1,300 persons and indirect employment to more than 10,000 persons in terms of various outsourced activities, the release said.
The wagon repair workshop at Badnera will cater to two major freight depots of the Central Railway in Bhusaval and Nagpur and enhance the availability of wagons, as per the CR.