The first air-conditioned local train for Mumbai crossed its most important hurdle recently when the Research Design Standards Organisation (RDSO) — the railway apex technical authority — approved the under-construction rake's Train Control and Management System (TCMS). The TCMS, part of the electrical systems of the train, has been built by Bhopal-based public sector giant Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
The first air-conditioned local train for Mumbai crossed its most important hurdle recently when the Research Design Standards Organisation (RDSO) — the railway apex technical authority — approved the under-construction rake's Train Control and Management System (TCMS). The TCMS, part of the electrical systems of the train, has been built by Bhopal-based public sector giant Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
The TCMS is a communication mechanism that facilitates the combined working of various parts of a train, like the motorman's console, the automatic sliding doors, the air-conditioning and external factors like signals and tracks.
Officials at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, where the rake is being built, said that with the crossing of this milestone, the electrical equipment can now be shipped to the factory in a few days time.
"From here on, there should not be any hiccups as far as the electrical equipment is concerned. If all goes according to plan and the electrical systems reach ICF by the mid or end of April, then the train can be turned out by end May or mid-June," said a senior railway official. The shells of the coaches are already ready at the ICF and the furnishing and painting would begin once the electrical systems are put in place, said ICF officials.
The first AC local hold significance for the city because its performance will hold the key to whether the overcrowded suburban system is ready for an all-new premium AC segment. The railway ministry has already placed orders for nine more rakes, all of which will be AC ones if the first one is a success.
The AC local has been one of the railway's most delayed projects with several deadlines falling by the wayside. It was first announced in the Railway budget for 2012-213, but it never materialised thanks to Western Railway — on which it was to run — and the Railway Board for not taking any steps to speed up the work of finalising the design and procuring the materials.
The railway ministry under the UPA government in early 2014 had announced that it would be commissioned by July 2014, but officials almost immediately called the announcement nothing but a political stunt.
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