Rs4,500 crore railway project stuck due to bureaucratic red tape

The delivery of six new nine-car local trains for the Rs4,500 crore,  the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) is stuck due to bureaucratic red tape.

The new trains are now urgently needed as the railway is already in the middle of the crucial project wherein direct current power is being upgraded to alternating current. Maharashtra Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) officials said that the reports of the project are currently being studied by the Research Design and Standards Organisation, the research wing of the Indian Railways.

The city's first high-speed local that can achieve a speed of 130kmph, arrived in Mumbai a few months ago but has been stuck in trials and tests for far too long. Until the reports of these tests go to the Integral Coach Factory, the other local trains will not arrive.

The trains, each costing Rs60 crore, are expected to break the 100kmph barrier and run at high speeds beyond Kalyan and Virar stations on the Central Railway and beyond Borivli on the Western Railway.

"There are limitations within the city for such high speeds, but it is easily possible outside city limits. The tracks too need to be equipped to cater to such speeds," a senior MRVC official said.

In fact, the trains were expected to arrive earlier but one of the crucial components went missing at the last moment, delaying the delivery.

The bogies' frames and technology has been brought in from Siemens company in Austria.

"The bogies have bolster-free suspensions, which will give commuters a jerk-free ride and improve riding conditions in Mumbai trains," he added.

While these trains will look just like existing trains, it is their high-speed bogies (wheel sets) that will make all the difference.