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
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
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 —
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