05 December,2021 07:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Railways,
Here is the new look of Deccan Queen. As reported by mid-day in a series of stories earlier, the train exterior has got a final shade of "restrained imperium" and will be in the city by January 2022. Rail fans and commuters said they were not so charmed with the new shade and said India's iconic train, that was known as the blue lady, has lost its charm.
Officials said the colours and designs of the new train were made by premier design institute, National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, after due consultations with commuters, the general public and stakeholders and approved by the Ministry of Railways in May 2020. mid-day was the first to report about the new colour shade and related developments of the train.
The Central Railway, in a rare gesture, had taken feedback from commuter surveys on how the conversion of Deccan Queen be made special. Three Mumbaikar commuters and rail fans Subhash Rao, Khurshed Lawyer and Devraj Malekar who had originally submitted a comprehensive list of suggestions termed the livery as a "waste". "It reminds me of the Chandrika soap carton," said Malekar.
"I have been watching Deccan Queen departing from Mumbai in evening hours from the year 1995 with its Blue-White-Red Strip livery. I am aware that a change in livery is a must as years progress, but in a 1965 documentary on Deccan Queen by Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, there is a sentence uttered - âThe lady in Blue of Indian Railways'. What about this?' The train has a rich history," said rail fan Kaushik Dharwadkar.
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The changes have happened because the train is being upgraded to German-design Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches. The Deccan Queen when introduced was the fastest electric train in India in the 1930s. Even after 90 years, it remains one of the fastest and the first choice for millions of patrons.
The colour was chosen after consultations with commuters, onboard regular travellers and all stakeholders. The âRestrained Imperium design' attempts to embody this understated imperium of the queen in a powerful, yet understated form.
