Fresh blueprint for AC locals on anvil

Air-conditioned local trains for the city are back in talks, with the railways research wing at Lucknow preparing a new blueprint for such trains for the Western Railway tracks.

In a bid to catch up with the Metro railways being planned across the country, the railways is in tearing hurry to freeze plans for these special locals, railway officials said.

Confirming the railways’ decision to go ahead with the ambitious project, a senior official said the air-conditioned trains were likely not just in Mumbai but in all the major cities, as part of Indian Railways Vision 2020 programme. In 2007, the railways had planned to run AC trains as a pilot between Churchgate and Borivli on a public-private partnership, but scrapped it following opposition.

In the 2008 rail budget, the then railway minister Lalu Prasad had stated the possibility of introducing AC suburban trains for the city in the 11th Five Year plan by 2012.

It is learnt that top officials of the Research Design and Standards Organisation in Lucknow are already working on the “tough task” of designing AC trains for Mumbai. The Western Railway had also internally prepared one such coach at its Mahalaxmi workshop and taken trials a few years ago. The plan for Mumbai had been earlier rejected as air-conditioned trains required closed doors, which was not possible in the dense crush load that the city’s trains ferry.

Another idea proposed comprised air-curtains to separate the cold air from the warm, but that too did not click. An air-curtain is a ventilation device used for separating two spaces from each other, a downward-facing fan with a powerful jet to help keep outside air out.

The city’s railway think-tank, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation, too, had taken up the AC locals plans, but it did not take off due to technicalities. Now, with plans to revive the idea, the railways have taken to chalking out a new blueprint.

As local trains could not be fitted with air-conditioners, it was then decided to install forced ventilation blowers in trains. The “forced ventilation’’ technique was to aid in decrease of carbon dioxide levels in packed trains.