Mumbai: The wait is finally over. The much-awaited made-in-India rake, Medha, is on tracks of the Western Railway. At 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, via videoconferencing, flagged off the maiden run of the train from Dadar to Borivali, at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. The 12-coach train on the fast track halted at Bandra and Andheri stations.
“We had been waiting for long for this rake to get ready. We are working to increase the services, but the possibility is very less. As of now, there are two rakes of Medha, which will run on the Western Railway network, ” said a senior official from the Western Railway. According to railway officials, this rake is cheaper than the earlier ones. Medha rake costs ₹43.23 crore, which is approximately ₹1 crore less than German-made Bombardier rake, which is ₹44.36 crore. The cost will come down if more rakes are ordered.
Medha has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which has installed LED lighting to reduce energy consumption. “This will save energy by approximately 30-35% as compared to the existing rakes. This rake has in-built systems to minimise breakdowns during the travel,” said the officials.
The rake can run at a speed of 110 kmph, whereas local trains don’t run above 90 or 100 kmph. Like the existing rakes, this train has cushioned seats in first class and stainless steel seats in general compartments. “The ICF has promised us a better ventilation and suspension system. Also, there is a GPS-based information system to indicate the stations. This rake also has a facility that would help motormen communicate with a guard in case of emergencies,” said the officials. The rake has a capacity of 6,050 passengers and the number of seats is 1,168.
Central and Western Railway general manager D.K. Sharma and other senior officials were present at the Dadar station.
