For the first time, the 90-year-old Golden Rock Railway Workshop at Ponmalai, Tiruchi, is set to overhaul modern Vande Bharat train coaches. On December 1, 2025, one rake containing 16 Vande Bharat coaches arrived for complete overhauling. These coaches previously ran on the Chennai-Mysuru broad gauge section. Around 250 technical experts from the mechanical and electrical sections will carefully inspect and maintain each coach. Workshop officials told The Hindu on December 2 that this marks the first-ever overhaul of Vande Bharat coaches at Golden Rock. This exercise is the SS-2 (Shop Schedule) overhaul, which happens every three years. To prepare, the technical staff visited railway workshops in Matunga (Mumbai), Ajmer (Rajasthan), and Charbagh (Lucknow) for training and experience. The Railway Board, New Delhi, has nominated Golden Rock to handle SS-I and other major overhauling schedules for Vande Bharat trains. Vande Bharat trains are semi-high-speed and run on various routes, including Southern Railway zones. The first indigenously made Vande Bharat train started service in February 2019 between New Delhi and Varanasi. These coaches feature automatic doors, GPS-based audio-visual passenger info systems, comfortable seats, and intelligent braking for better speed control. Executive class coaches have rotating chairs. Their faster travel times have made them popular with passengers. The overhaul will include examining bogies, seats, wheels, bearings, flooring, electrical systems, and roof air-conditioning units. Vinyl wrapping and fresh paint on the interiors and exteriors will also be applied. New bogies will replace old ones where needed. Officials said the overhaul is expected to finish within 45 days, ensuring these sleek trains stay in top shape for future journeys.