Commuters complain of shrill noise from wheels, bad lighting & poor fittings on locks; railways vow to fix all problems.
Unbearable whistling sounds from the wheels, dingy and dark coaches and non-functional air-coolers.
Just four years after the new-age violet trains were inducted in the city’s fleet, lack of maintenance and poor quality of manufacturing have left commuters a harassed lot.
“It has been recently observed that the local trains create an irritating sound, which can be quite frustrating,’’ Fabian Edward Misquitta, a commuter wrote to DNA.
“The noise comes from the wheels and increases as the train gains speed from the platform. The whistling and screeching sound pierces your ears and is very shrill,’’ Jaswinder Singh, another commuter complained.
Even the lighting inside the new trains has become a serious issue as most of the coaches have a missing tubelights. At times the glass case is not clean affecting the lux quality of the light.
“On one occasion, I have travelled by train from Ghatkopar to Thane almost in the dark. This could lead to serious security issues,’’ Gomel Patro, a commuter, pointed out.
“As Mumbai’s temperature touches 39 degrees Celsius, none of the blowers installed in the trains are fully functional. This is a serious problem when the coach is crowded,” he added.
Then there are other minor problems such as bad fittings of locks on doors and windows and poor welding quality leading to damage.
Top officials of both central and western railways claimed they were working on improving the quality of the trains locally and will identify each problem and solve them.
“In general, the quality of welding and other fixtures in the new trains was poor, but our local workshops are busy working on improving their quality by insulating frames and double-welding the joints. We can do it only when the trains come for periodic maintenance. They will all soon be good,’’ said a senior official at the wagon and carriage workshop.
The trains, bought for Rs20 crore each with the help of World Bank funding under the Rs 4,500 crore Mumbai Urban Transport Project, were introduced in November 2007. But, they have been facing a host of problems since then.
While a few broke down within a year due to faulty motors and had to be replaced with new motors, most were taped up in the monsoon to prevent leakages.
These trains have also started rusting, though used for just four years now.
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