The railways will explore retrofitting a non-AC rake into a AC one as it doesn't want to spend more money in buying new trains
The Indian Railways plans to convert all local trains into air conditioned ones. For this, authorities will study the feasibility to convert the existing non-AC Bombardier and Siemens make of trains either fully or partly to AC trains; on both Western and Central Railways.
Sources said the railways will explore retrofitting a non-AC rake into a AC one as it doesn't want to spend more money in buying new trains. "This would also be a political call if the entire 12-car should be converted into AC or it will be a mix of AC and non-AC. We realise that lot many changes will need to be made for the same," said a railway official.
As per plans, the Indian Railways intend to convert the entire fleet of local trains into AC. For this, they are also procuring 210 AC rakes under Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3A. But this would not be sufficient to cater the system which has nearly 245 rakes running on both WR and CR. Majority of them have been procured barely 2-3 years ago and has a codal life of 25 years; which even extends to 30 years if maintained well.
Sources said that initially they might attach retrofitted AC coaches into non-AC ones and run it at a rake. However this will depend on the technical feasibility as the authorities will have thoroughly inspect and examine if the two different types of rakes can run as one. Senior railway officials said that the new 210 AC rakes have been proposed on the basis of new rail lines that shall be added into the system and that after all everything can be AC.
The existing non-AC train costs around Rs 45 crore for 12-car and retrofitting them into an AC one would add at least Rs 5 crore per coach. This comes at a time when the first AC train that is operating between Churchgate and Virar is a retrofitted one where coaches, AC units, door closing mechanisms, power generator for the rake have been assembled together and built at a cost of Rs 54 crore. If a single brand new AC rake is procured then it would cost around Rs 110-120 crore for 12-car.
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