Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) may resume Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon train service shortly as the corporation was sanctioned three sets of Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMU).
KRCL had cancelled the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit service some time ago.
The first 8-car MEMU rake was dispatched from Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, to KRCL at Madgaon on July 26. The train set comprises two driver-motor cars and six trailer cars, all working on 3 Phase AC traction.
KRCL’s Karwar Regional Railway Manager B.B. Nikam told The Hindu the corporation could resume the services of Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon passenger train (Train Nos. 70105/70106) using the newly arrived MEMU rake. The date of resumption of service would be announced once KRCL receives the new rakes.
Demand for speeding up Madgaon-Mangaluru Central train
Patrons have urged KRCL to operate the MEMU with revised timings.
Byndoor Rail Yatri Sangha president and former member of National Railway Users’ Consultative Committee Kunjal Venkatesh Kini has urged the Railways to ensure the Madgaon-Mangaluru Central service leaves Madgaon at 5 am and reaches Mangaluru Central at 11 am instead of the earlier 12.15 pm.
In the return direction, he wants the MEMU to leave Mangaluru Central at 3.45 pm, instead of the 2.45 pm earlier, to reach Madgaon at 9.45 pm instead of 10.30 pm, which was the timing of the DEMU service that has been cancelled.
Mr. Kini said revision of the timings and reducing the journey time from 7.30 hours earlier to 6 hours would be beneficial to passengers who travel along the coast for education, business and healthcare purposes.
More carrying capacity in MEMU
MEMU cars have more carrying capacity than conventional coaches, and the train set does not need loco-reversal at terminating or dead-end stations thereby saving time. With driver-motor cars at both ends, the train could move on either direction.
Manufactured indigenously at ICF, Chennai, each driver-motor car has seats for 55 passengers and can accommodate 171 standing passengers. Each trailer car has 84 seats and can accommodate 271 standing passengers. Thus, a two driver-motor car and six trailer car MEMU train set could carry as many as 2,582 passengers.
