The city’s wait for an air conditioned (AC) local train just got shorter. Senior railway officials confirmed to The Hindu on Friday that dynamic trials for the AC train will start next week. They said the trials were scheduled to begin from February 18, but had to be postponed due to “technical issues”. “The first rake will run on Western Railway,” they added, “but the trial will be on the Central Line between Karjat and Khopoli.”
Railway sources said Mumbai railway officials are under pressure to deliver on the AC train as it is one of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s pet projects, and that “he keeps asking about the progress”. Though the AC rake arrived in Mumbai in March 2016, trials were yet to begin for nearly a year. Each rake costs ₹54 crore, and can carry 1,200 commuters.
Officials said the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), the apex railway safety body, has certified the AC train. “We are ready for the dynamic trial in the presence of a Research Designs and Stadards Organisation (RDSO) inspector,” an official said. The RDSO is responsible for standardisation of railway systems specifications. The Central Railway had approached the CRS last November, but the AC train was safety-certified only in January this year.
Devendra Kumar Sharma, general manager, Central Railway , said, “The first AC local is likely to run on Western Railway, while the subsequent trains will run on both Central and Western lines. The trials will run for three and a half months, and if all goes well, we may have the first AC local running by the end of 2017.”
Mr. Sharma said the trial is conducted to check the performance of the train on 18 parameters, including software, speed, signalling and door closure. “Western Railway will get the first rake because on Central Railway, the height of the foot over bridges (FOBs) and other civilian bridges between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Kurla. In the following rakes, we will ask the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai to lower the height of the compartments.”
