AC train commuters inconvenienced by constant leaking in compartment

Problem compartment in city's first air-conditioned local sees water leakage on seats, inconveniencing commuters during peak hours

Mumbai AC local interiors. Pic/Suresh Karkera

People commuting by Mumbai's local trains have accepted their fate of having to travel in the (in)famed 'crush load'. What then will be the situation if commuters don't have the entire area of a compartment to sit/stand during the agonising peak hours?

Over to the passengers of city's first air-conditioned local train — consistent water leakage inside one of the compartments, particularly during the rush hours, has affected people's commute as they have to avoid a row of seats and the standing area next to it, courtesy the pool on the floor.

"The leak has been there for quite some time now. It's more in the later part of the day," Akshay Marathe, a regular commuter and a resident of Borivli, said.

Another commuter, human rights activist Chetan Mehta, shot a video of the problem inside the compartment and put it up on social media, tagging Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. "The leak was in the second bogie from Virar-end in the train that started from Churchgate at 7.49 pm and reaches Virar at 9.30 pm on Tuesday," he said.

Western Railway officials said they will fix the issue soon, adding that despite the rising heat in the city, there have been no complaints regarding the train's cooling system.

"Firstly, it's not heavy leakage, just a few droplets due to high cooling inside the train to beat the rising temperature outside. There are no complaints from commuters on the cooling front. Secondly, the AC EMU train is the first in India and a prototype one. We have duly noted the design issues in the air-conditioning system and many other suggestions in order to rectify the same in the subsequent rakes before production begins. About the AC, a minor change in layout of the drain pipe will be done to prevent it from happening again," said Western Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Ravindra Bhakar.

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