04 January,2019 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The new AC locals will have wider gangways for more people to walk and stand comfortably in the crowd
There's finally some 'cool' news for commuters on the Central Railway (CR). The new AC train, touted as the little sister of the iconic Train 18 that was unveiled last week, is now coming to Central Railway. In a New Year's year gift, the Railway Board, overturning all its earlier letters, has allotted priority to CR for the new air-conditioned trains that are set to arrive this year.
Six AC trains for CR
"This means that six of the 12 air-conditioned trains made by BHEL Electronics will now come to Central Railway. As per details, the first train went to Western Railway, but the next two trains will now come to Central Railway. The fourth, fifth and sixth trains will go to WR, the next two will be given to CR, the ninth and tenth to WR, and again the eleventh and twelfth will go to CR," a top official said. A letter regarding this was sent by the Railway Board to the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on January 2, a copy of which is with mid-day.
The new AC local train has incorporated several features as suggested by Mumbai commuters in their feedback from the first train, including wider gangways for more people to walk and stand comfortably in the crowd, improved luggage racks and much more.
It also has a talk back mechanism, a first for local trains, where commuters in emergency can contact the train guard. As reported earlier, with the underslung motor equipment the train will be able to run at slow speeds even during flooding. The new AC train also has flexi solar panels that are capable of generating 3.6 kw electricity. These will power the fans and lights of the coach.
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'Favouritism is over'
Passenger Association member Subhash Gupta welcomed the decision, and said it is a big victory for CR commuters. "Finally, the favouritism to Western Railway has ended and we hope this will continue," he said.
3.6kv
The electricity the flexi solar panels on the trains will generate
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