According to railway sources, the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai has decided not to install CCTVs in the AC local because of the possibility that it might delay the project, which is already more than a year late, as the CCTV system would require a few months to crystallise.
The railway ministry's decision to have closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in ladies compartments of suburban trains might not materialise for city's first-ever air-conditioned local train.
According to railway sources, the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai has decided not to install CCTVs in the AC local because of the possibility that it might delay the project, which is already more than a year late, as the CCTV system would require a few months to crystallise.
"The design for the AC local was finalised long before the railways decided to have CCTVs inside ladies coaches. It is a standalone design which might undergo changes once public feedback comes in post its commissioning later this year. Maybe the next set of AC locals for Mumbai — as and when they are built — will have CCTVs installed in them," said a senior railway official.
In reply to a query by dna, general manager of ICF Ashok Agarwal said, "As of now, CCTVs are not planned for AC EMUs (railway lingo for local trains). It needs integration with BHEL controls (the electrical and electronic mechanism that will control the local train). We will work for future rakes."
However, railway officials told dna there is a "high possibility" that most of the 70 Bombardier rakes that are to be supplied to Mumbai over the next couple of years will have CCTVs. These 70 rakes that will be built over the next couple of years will need the CCTV system more, said officials, as the number of trips they will make everyday will be more than the AC local.
"The AC local, thanks to tighter access control and maybe a different kind of ticketing system and also closed doors, will have inherent safety characteristics unlike a normal local train. That is why we believe the Bombardier rakes need CCTVs in ladies coaches more than other trains. Hopefully, it should work out soon," said the official.
Meanwhile, officials at Western Railway, which has been carrying out trials of a CCTV system in a ladies coach in one of its locals, believes the project should be ready for commissioning by June 10.
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