Mumbai: Partially AC local likely to be ready by January

Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives will manufacture the electrical equipment for the rakes.

The cost of the project is Rs 50 crore. (Representational Image)

Even as the suburban railway prepares for a partially air-conditioned local train, the first such rake — six AC coaches will be attached to a non-AC suburban local train — is expected to be ready by January next year, according to a senior railway official from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives will manufacture the electrical equipment for the rakes. The cost of the project is Rs 50 crore.

In August, tenders were awarded to Medha to manufacture the electrical fittings for the rakes. Last year, 19 indigenous rakes manufactured by Medha were introduced on the suburban railway network of Western Railway. Senior railway officials said these rakes had better passenger comfort and speed features.

“Medha will make the electrical fittings for seven rakes. The first rake, with a complete set of electrical fittings in it, will be ready by January 2019. Subsequently, other rakes would be made ready. These rakes would then be partially air-conditioned,” said Sudhanshu Mani, General Manager, ICF.

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After the ICF delivers the AC rakes in Mumbai, six coaches of non-AC rakes will be attached to them. In all, 76 non-AC suburban local trains will be partially air-conditioned.

“Both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned coaches must be of the same make. That is why six coaches of non-AC Medha-manufactured rakes will be replaced by six coaches of the Medha AC rakes,” said Mani. He added that while ICF will manufacture these trains, Medha would fit the electricals.

“We will be ready with the entire set of seven rakes by December 2019. We would test the response of commuters with the first prototype rake, expected to be sent early next year,” he said.

Partial air-conditioning of rakes is an ambitious project of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to popularise AC travel on the suburban line. As fares of the sole AC rake in Mumbai are relatively expensive, this train fails to run to full capacity.

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Mumbai suburban railway