New air-conditioned locals to get a luggage compartment

The AC local train does not have a special section earmarked for luggage compartments

The new air-conditioned local trains being brought to the city, will get a luggage compartment, and the Central Railway on Sunday said they are already in touch with the manufacturers for the process. As per design, the luggage/vendors' compartment will have to be segregated from the AC air circulation vents.

mid-day had highlighted in, AC (local) ki taisi, on January 6 that the new AC local trains of Mumbai have left out the city's stakeholders, dabbawalas, fisherfolk and vendors, who had raised their voice over the missing luggage compartment in the new design of the city's lifeline.

"We have been in sustained communication with the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai that has been manufacturing the train. All 12 car non-AC trains have four vendor compartments. However, air-conditioned rakes received from the Integral Coach Factory do not have such separate provision for vendors. The requirement of a vendor compartment with a separate air circulation was specifically mentioned for MUTP-III," a top official said.

"As the technical specifications are under finalisation for completely air-conditioned local trains, we have requested to ensure separate provision of sufficient area/numbers for vendor compartments with separate air circulation in consultation with user railway while finalising the specification," a top CR official said.

The luggage compartment in Mumbai local trains has been an integral part of it. The compartment does not have the centre rod and the flooring was also made anti-slippery in the coaches with provisions for large baskets. "The luggage compartment has fish carriers and a segregated air circulation will not spread the smell of fish into the entire train, hence the AC vents could be blocked for the section where these compartments need to be located," another official said.

Central Railway officials said the issue has been taken to the RDSO, the Research Designs & Standards Organisation, which is a research and development organisation under the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India, which functions as a technical adviser and consultant to all the railways in the country. "CR has already flagged the issue of provision of vendor compartments in AC EMU rakes," CR CPRO Shivaji Sutar said.