Central Railway’s (CR) first air-conditioned (AC) local will have its inaugural run on Thursday and begin full service a day later.
According to CR officials, the AC local on the Trans-Harbour line will be flagged off from Thane around 3.30 p.m. by Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi.
16 services daily
From Friday, there will be 16 services every day between Thane and Vashi, with three services during the morning and evening peak hours. The AC local, which arrived in December, has been fitted with CCTV cameras in all its coaches and will also have an escort squad from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for security.
“There will be two male and one female RPF staff aboard the train to ensure safety during the first runs of the train. We will decide after a month if we need to extend the security,” said a senior RPF official.
The official said the RPF has also made an official request for installation of CCTV cameras outside the motorman and guard’s cabins in order to spot stone pelters or miscreants who aim at the rake.
New rakes to come
CR officials also said they will receive two additional rakes in the coming month, one of which will be inducted next week but will be kept as a spare.
“We are planning to run the third rake as an additional service. However, we haven’t worked out the modalities,” a CR official said.
The third rake has been nearly assembled and is expected to undergo testing shortly at the Integral Coach Factory where it is being manufactured.
