Indian Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar said all hurdles have been cleared to move forward with 238 air-conditioned local trains for Mumbai
and tenders for the same will be made available soon.
"There's a misconception that the tender is stuck — it's not. All procedural hurdles have been cleared, and the tender will be floated shortly," Kumar said in an interview with Mid-Day.
He said prototypes for two prototypes for non-AC local trains with automatic door-closing are expected to be ready by December 2025. They are being developed by manufacturers at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
Upgrading Mumbai local trains has become a key focus for the Railways Ministry and officials since the Mumbra accident on June 9. Four people died and at least nine were injured when two overcrowded trains passed each other near Mumbra station.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had finalised a new design with three main changes to be incorporated in local trains. This includes automatic doors, roof-mounted ventilation units for better air circulation, and interconnecting vestibules between coaches.
Central Railway has created a prototype using a Siemens-manufactured rake. It is stationed at a car shed in Kurla at the moment.
Kumar shared that the plans to change all 12-car trains to 15-car formations are in the works to boost passenger capacity.
Speaking on integrating metro lines, he said railway officials are conducting a comprehensive survey of all railway stations to assess Metro connectivity.
When asked about the need to speed up railway works, he said railway-related works are 'Brownfield' that have to happen while also ensuring smooth regular operations.
"Railway work isn`t Greenfield — it`s Brownfield. We have to maintain ongoing traffic while continuing construction. There are a lot of challenges, but we’re making progress despite these constraints," Kumar said.
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