Mumbai will get its first local train equipped with solar panels to power lights and fans on Saturday, said Western Railway officials. The air-conditioned local, built on the lines of semi-high-speed Train 18, is a specially designed high-powered train. The train has good acceleration with underslung motors. In an underslung motor set-up, the traction equipment onboard the train is shifted below the train, near the wheels. This has created more passenger area.

“The new AC local train has flexi solar panels that are light in weight and capable of generating 3.6 kilowatt of electricity. These panels will power the fans and lights of the coach, thus reducing the needs from overhead power supply. This is being experimented in one coach of the train. Depending on the feedback, the innovation will be extended to other coaches,” a railway spokesperson said.