CR main line to be all 12-car

Manthan K Mehta TNN
 

Mumbai: Central Railway (CR) commuters can expect a Diwali bonanza as the remaining 75 nine-car services on the main line will be upgraded to 12-car before November 1.
    There are 785 services on the main line, of which 710 are 12-car services. CR uses six rakes that are compatible with the direct current (DC) traction to operate the 9-car services.
    V A Malegaonkar, chief public relations officer, CR, said, “Of these, three rakes will be augmented to 12-car soon, while the remaining will be upgraded before October 31.” Nine-car services will be operational on only on CR’s harbour line after augmentation of these rakes.
    Malegaonkar said, “The augmentation will generate additional capacity to carry approximately one lakh passengers per day, compensating for the increase in daily passengers in the current year.” In 2010-11, about 3.9 million passengers travelled by CR’s suburban trains each day, compared to 3.7 million in 2009-10.
    CR also plans to introduce two retrofitted rakes that can ply on alternating current (AC) and DC traction before October-end.
    A senior CR official said, “One such rake may be commissioned by Septemberend, while another will be introduced in October.”
    Four such retrofitted rakes are in service, and CR plans to retrofit 20 more DC rakes to make them compatible with AC/DC traction by 2012. The retrofitted locals have features comparable to the new generation Siemens local, with a new coat of paint on the exterior, stainless steel partitions and seats, all similar to the new rakes. CR will not get any new Siemens rakes for two years and a major
chunk of the new generation units have already been allotted to Western Railway.
    Malegaonkar said, “Technology to transform the rakes was developed indigenously by CR engineers. CR’s initiative to retrofit locals has won appreciation and an award from the railway board, as they are costeffective and energy-efficient.
    The retrofitted rakes will have a lifespan of 15 years and they will be as a good as new rakes in terms of performance. A Siemens rake costs around Rs 27 crore, but retrofitting a rake costs only Rs 3 crore.
ON THE FAST TRACK

•CR’s remaining 75 nine-car services on main line will be upgraded to 12-car before November 1

•Augmentation will generate additional capacity to carry approx one lakh passenger per day

•In 2010-11, about 3.9 million passengers travelled by CR’s suburban trains each day, compared to 3.7 million in 2009-10

•CR also plans to retrofit 20 more DC rakes to make them compatible with AC/DC traction by 2012

•Technology to transform the rakes was developed indigenously by CR engineers

•Retrofitted rakes will have 15-year lifespan, and each costs only Rs 3 cr, versus a Siemens local, which costs around Rs 27 cr