Mumbai's Central Railway to get its 1st AC Local

In a step to ease the lives of lakhs of Mumbaikar’s who are depended on the local train which is the city’s lifeline; the first air-conditioned suburban local for Central Railway’s fleet has reached at Kurla Car shed on December 9 and it is expected to be commissioned in a months time.

Crux of the Matter

1. The AC local is built at a cost of Rs 54 crore and has the capacity to carry 6,000 passengers.

2. It is equipped with features like the ‘Emergency Talk Back’ system and a GPS-based passenger information system and It has no general or first-class compartments.

3. 100 staffers will be trained to operate the AC local. CR also plans to deploy a woman to pilot the maiden run.

4. AC local may initially be inducted on the Trans-Harbour Line and would run between Thane and Vashi. Passenger representatives will also be consulted to decide on the route.

5. The second AC rake will arrive by March 2020 which will be followed by four more by the end of 2020.

6. Mumbai Central Railway DRM Shalabh Goel said, “We received the first AC local in our fleet. The work of modifications, including electrical fitments, will be finished in a month, after which it will be commissioned.”

Curiopedia

Mumbai Suburban Railway consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Spread over 390 kilometres, the suburban railway operates 2,342 train services and carries more than 7.5 million commuters daily. With an annual ridership of 2.64 billion, the Mumbai Suburban Railway is one of the busiest commuter rail systems in the world and it has the most severe overcrowding in the world. It is the second-largest suburban rail network in terms of route length after Kolkata. The Mumbai Suburban Railway system is operated by two zonal divisions Western Railways (WR) and Central Railways (CR).  Being the oldest railway system in Asia its first train was run between Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Thane, a distance of 34 km, on 16 April 1853 in 1.5 hours. More Info

Curated Coverage

1. Financial Express – Indian Railways New Year gift to Mumbaikars! Soon, Central Railway to introduce new AC local train; details

2. The New India Express – Central Railway gets first AC local, commissioning expected in a month

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