13 May,2017 05:59 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The Western Railways (WR) will now offically conduct trials on Mumbai's first air-conditioned electrical multiple unit (EMU) rake, which is expected to be launched by Diwali this year
Western Railway (WR) authorities are hoping to start the air-conditioned electrical multiple unit (EMU) rake from this Diwali. File pic
The Western Railways (WR) will now offically conduct trials on Mumbai's first air-conditioned electrical multiple unit (EMU) rake, which has been handed over to them. WR officials say the rake was transferred on Thursday and that it would take 3-6 months to finish trials.
According to The Times of India, they are hoping to launch the rake by Diwali this year, but only after it is cleared by the commissioner of railway (safety).
Currently services are expected to run between Churchgate-Borivli and Churchgate-Andheri. Western Railway (WR) sources say it's feasible to operate only 12 services daily on fast and slow corridors since there is only one AC rake.
The Central Railway (CR) have been conducting static and dynamic trials on the rake since November 2016, after it arrived from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, in April.
The inadequate height of British-era bridges between CST and Kurla led to CR abandoning their plan of running the coaches since their trains have a height of 4.335m, which is against the maximum permissible height of 4.270m for EMU coaches.
The railways will invite tenders for the next lot of 47 AC rakes having 12 coaches each. Official sources say Railway Board was working on the specifications of the AC local trains, which would be out in the next two months. Only after that the railways would call for the tenders.
