The inaugural run of the Central Railway’s (CR) first air-conditioned local train will be piloted by a motorwoman. The AC local, which arrived at the CR’s Kurla car shed on Monday, is expected to begin its operations by mid-January.
Shalabh Goel, divisional railway manager, Mumbai, CR, said, “We will be training our motorwomen to pilot the AC local and the inaugural run will be done by them. We are also seeing if they can run one or two of the entire day’s service.”
Mr. Goel said the CR has already trained around 100 staff members ahead of the launch of the AC local, which will go through basic trials in the coming months. “We are also making a few additions such as installing CCTV cameras in the ladies coaches. The train did not come fitted with them as it was not in the original scope of the design,” he said.
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Rake’s height modified
The CR’s AC rake is the city’s fifth with four locals already being operated by the Western Railway, which runs the country’s only AC suburban railway service. The CR’s AC local had to have its height modified to enable it to run on all its corridors. The height of the previous AC locals had been a huge issue as there are several British-era bridges over the tracks. Senior CR officials said its staff members were sent to the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai to ensure that there are no further issues with the rake’s height.
Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, CR, said the timetable or the section on which the service will run has not been decided and planning is on. Senior officials said discussions are in progress to introduce the service on the Trans Harbour Line or the Goregaon to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus section of the Harbour Line.
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Mr. Goel said a meeting with various passenger associations will be held on Wednesday to take their feedback into consideration.