After converting all its trains into 12-car on the mainline, the Central Railway is now ready with a blueprint for running 15-car local trains on the fast corridor that would be integrated with the existing services.
After converting all its trains into 12-car on the mainline, the Central Railway is now ready with a blueprint for running 15-car local trains on the fast corridor that would be integrated with the existing services. While preparatory works have begun on running the world’s longest train on the country’s oldest railway, the train will actually be run only after monsoon ends.
DNA had first reported, in September 2011, that the CR was planning to run the 15-car locals on its mainline network. Stating that the train would be integrated in the existing timetable and not be an additional service, a senior CR official said, “It will carry 33% more crowd than the existing 12-car train.”
‘’Running a longer train is not an issue, but we want to be prepared for it. Besides lending additional length to platforms, additional staircases would also need to be built to the existing bridges, so that the existing infrastructure is able to take the additional crowd of the trains,’’ he added.
While crucial stations like Dadar, Thane and Kalyan have long enough platforms to accommodate a 15-car train, the rest would need an upgrade. “While the train will mostly run on the fast corridor, we are exploring options on how and where it could be stabled, the terminating and starting points,’’ the official added.
The CR’s plan is quite in contrast with the Western Railway, which kick-started a 15-car train without planning in 2009, but is yet to convert even its nine-car trains. This led to confusion and chaos among commuters. In fact, the 15-car train on WR does not even have any prominent signage for commuters, indicating so.
An average nine-car train has a seating capacity of 876 and 1,752 standees. A 12-car train can seat 1,168 and accommodate 2,336 standees.
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