Inadequate planning and deliberation by the railways in procurement of new rakes can potentially slow down the strides the suburban network aims to make in providing commuters with faster and more comfortable travel in the days to come.

u00a0Rs 72 crore has been spent by Western Railway (WR) for acquiring three rakes that would run exclusively on 25,000-volt alternating current (AC), the first of which became operational last week. The problem is that these locomotives would be able to run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph, at least initially, which is 20-30 kmph slower than other trains in the suburban section. The new rakes have been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai and have been sold for Rs 24 crore each.