11 December,2019 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B Aklekar
The new AC local is the shortest of all the trains in the existing fleet.
Central Railway's (CR) much-awaited first AC local train arrived at the Kurla carshed on Tuesday. The train, which has been customised for the CR section, is the shortest in the fleet of the existing AC locals, with a height of 4,270mm as compared to the 4,283mm ones that run on the Western Railway (WR) section. Just after the train arrived at the carshed, the destination board mentioned Borivli, but then it was swiftly changed to Dadar.
Speaking to mid-day, CR divisional railway manager, Shalabh Goel said, "The train will be put into service soon, but we are yet to decide its timetable and from when it would run. However, it will be driven by a motorwoman and we have also trained a group of 100 people to ensure that the train functions without any problems." He further said that the second AC local would arrive before March next year.
"We had a meeting with all the stakeholders and commuter associations in January and it turned out that everyone wants the train to run on their respective sections. We will conduct a meeting again with passenger associations and take a final call on the matter," said Shivaji Sutar, CR chief public relations officer.
The new AC local is the shortest of all the trains in the existing fleet
ALSO READ
Dating app scam: Accused sent to judicial custody
Hope new project is backed by top-notch planning
Mumbai: Rickshaw driver allegedly molests 15-year-old; held
Ganeshotsav 2024: CR to run 4 more services of unreserved Special Trains
Mumbai: WR to operate 10-hour block between Goregaon, Kandivali this weekend
According to officials, the train would most likely run from January on the Thane-Vashi sector, as this would not involve compromising existing services. It would have a total of 16 services. The fare structure would be similar to that of the WR AC locals, which is about 1.3 times the first class base fare.
The officials further said that the train had the best features and it would soon be inducted in the fleet. It would have CCTV cameras inside and the door would also close faster as compared to the other AC locals.
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates