Second AC train in Mumbai will be solar powered

The local will be the first ever in Mumbai's network to be equipped with solar panels to power lights and fans in the coaches

Built on the lines of the iconic Train 18, the second air-conditioned train that is on its way to Mumbai, will be the first local to be equipped with solar panels to power lights and fans. The train has been allotted to the Western Railway to ease the burden on the existing AC train. There will be trials of the train before it is put into service.

"The new AC train has flexi solar panels that are light in weight, and capable of generating 3.6 kw electricity. These panels will power the fans and lights of the coaches, reducing the need from the overhead power supply. This has been experimented in one coach of the train, and depending on the feedback, the innovation will be extended to other coaches," a railway spokesperson said.

This new AC train, too, will go to the Western Railway

AC train on weekends
Local officials said that they are now getting the train as per original planning, so that the burden on, and wear and tear of the existing AC train may get reduced, and they would be able to run AC services on weekends too. "Once we get the second AC train, it will not be much of a problem to run it during weekends too, since we will get time for maintenance," a WR official said.

Several features added
The new 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 crowds, improved luggage racks and more. It has a Talk Back mechanism, a first for local trains, where commuters can contact the train guard in emergency. The official also said with the under-slung motor equipment, the train will be able to run at slow speeds even during flooding. But the air-conditioned train does not leave the platform till all the doors are closed. The detention of the train till all doors close has been a matter of concern for the Western Railway, even regarding the existing AC train.

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