Survey reveals number of commuters per train down from 4,700 to 4,100 thanks to the new rakes.
Mumbai : It may not seem so in this sweltering heat but your local commute just got easier. An extensive survey conducted by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation through mid-March to April, and across Central, Western and Harbour lines has revealed that the density of commuters per rake has dropped by 14 per cent as compared to last year.
Mumbai’s suburban railway system has one of the highest densities of commuters per train in the world, to the extent that “packed like sardines” has become the most common phrase to describe the commuters in our locals. But now, the survey reveals, the number of commuters per train has dropped from 4,700 to 4,100.
“Two factors have helped reduce number of commuters per coach – introduction of 47 new rakes and most of the 9-coach trains being converted into 12-coach trains. This has happened for the first time in last 50 years
that the congestion on local trains has reduced,” MRVC Managing Director Dr. P C Sehgal said.
The trend so far has been that the congestion never came down. From 1950 to 2007, the number of trains rose by 329 per cent, but the number of passengers went up by 783 per cent. The coaches, in recent times, had been carrying passengers more than two and half times their capacity. MRVC officials are most pleased with the survey findings since the World Bank had stipulated while awarding funds for Mumbai Urban Transport Project (under which the new rakes were purchased) that the crowds on trains must come down to bearable levels. Arrival
of more new trains (four trains every month) is likely to make it even more comfortable. It’s still some distance to go, but this is a beginning.
The survey was carried out with help of Central and Western Railway and MRVC officials who boarded coaches during different hours of the day and went about doing an actual head count of commuters. They also counted how many people boarded and alighted at different stations. The statistics thus gathered was used to arrive at an average number of commuters travelling on Mumbai trains this year. The survey, which is part of a drive, started in March and culminated on April 30.
Corresponding to the change in railway figures, Mumbai’s other public transport utility, Brihanmumbai Electricity and Suburban Transport undertaking has reported an increase of over two lakh commuters per day. BEST authorities insist they did not gain any commuters from railways and in fact complimented the train services by starting more bus ferries from railway stations to the inner areas of the suburbs.
“Our studies suggested that we needed more services there and would attract more commuters if we extended our services to newly constructed housing complexes and colonies. We rescheduled bus timings and increased services during peak hours and concentrated on bulk routes, which helped,” said BEST Officer on Special Duty Victor Naigaonkar.
CR converting fleet for faster
travel Trains Will Now Be AC
and DC Compatible
Mumbai : Your daily train commute between home and work is set to get more comfortable and faster in the next few months. Central Railway (CR) is in the process of converting 39 of its DC trains (powered by 1500-volt direct current) to DC-and-AC-compatible ones; this will boost train speeds.
DC-and-AC-compatible trains are important because CR is converting its entire line to run on 25,000 volts of alternating current, which will let trains run faster and help in in augmenting
services.
The 39 rakes will also be recoloured to look like the new violet-and-white MRVCSiemens AC-DC rakes. The first such completed rake, train number 555, already stands proudly in the Matunga
workshop. It will be introduced in 45 days after it goes through tests.
The entire process has taken four months. Some of the older trains will be phased out. (A train below 15 years of age is called “young’’; they can have a life of 25 years after their makeover.)
The entire work was expected to be completed by December 2010, Matunga chief workshop manager A K Tiwari said. Central Railway could have replaced all the old trains with the new Siemens rakes but has decided to convert the trains since the Integral Coach Factory-Chennai has only a limited production capacity.
Long-distance services are on the revamp route
Mumbai: Long-distance commuters, too, have reasons to cheer as air-conditioned bogies are getting a facelift. Four air-conditioned coaches have already been refitted with completely different flooring, seat covers, panelling and curtains and the colour scheme has changed from blue to brown. Every month, four coaches will be revamped at the Matunga workshop.
The journey will be more comfortable for unreserved travellers as well. All generalclass seats,
which are now wooden, will have cushioned seats within a year. Almost 400 coaches have been fitted with cushioned seats and 700 more are in line.
CR has also started dismantling the uncomfortable third side berth which has received a lot of flak from commuters.
THE MATUNGA WORKSHOP
Spread over 35 hectares, the workshop works like an ecosystem by itself. It is here that trains— both long-distance and suburban—are overhauled or “reborn’’.
All major retro fitments happen here. Established in 1915, it was here that the president’s salon was manufactured in 1953.
It is the largest workshop on the Indian Railways, handling 175 non-suburban and 60 suburban trains every month. Work includes inspecting, stripping, repairing or maintenance, reassembling and inspecting of trains.
It’s back to old style comfy and long-lasting seats
The 4.5 lakh first-class commuters will soon get more comfortable seats. The new seats in the first-class compartments are being dismantled and replaced with the older version, which is less expensive and lasts longer. The seats will be brown in colour instead of the usual blue.
CR had changed the rubberised coir first-class seats to fancy densified thermally bonded polyester, which was twice as expensive but sagged after a few weeks’ use.
CR is also making changes to the suspension of suburban trains by replacing helical springs with pneumatic air springs; they will help trains run at higher speeds (from 85 kmph to 100 kmph).
Mumbai : It may not seem so in this sweltering heat but your local commute just got easier. An extensive survey conducted by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation through mid-March to April, and across Central, Western and Harbour lines has revealed that the density of commuters per rake has dropped by 14 per cent as compared to last year.
Mumbai’s suburban railway system has one of the highest densities of commuters per train in the world, to the extent that “packed like sardines” has become the most common phrase to describe the commuters in our locals. But now, the survey reveals, the number of commuters per train has dropped from 4,700 to 4,100.
“Two factors have helped reduce number of commuters per coach – introduction of 47 new rakes and most of the 9-coach trains being converted into 12-coach trains. This has happened for the first time in last 50 years
that the congestion on local trains has reduced,” MRVC Managing Director Dr. P C Sehgal said.
The trend so far has been that the congestion never came down. From 1950 to 2007, the number of trains rose by 329 per cent, but the number of passengers went up by 783 per cent. The coaches, in recent times, had been carrying passengers more than two and half times their capacity. MRVC officials are most pleased with the survey findings since the World Bank had stipulated while awarding funds for Mumbai Urban Transport Project (under which the new rakes were purchased) that the crowds on trains must come down to bearable levels. Arrival
of more new trains (four trains every month) is likely to make it even more comfortable. It’s still some distance to go, but this is a beginning.
The survey was carried out with help of Central and Western Railway and MRVC officials who boarded coaches during different hours of the day and went about doing an actual head count of commuters. They also counted how many people boarded and alighted at different stations. The statistics thus gathered was used to arrive at an average number of commuters travelling on Mumbai trains this year. The survey, which is part of a drive, started in March and culminated on April 30.
Corresponding to the change in railway figures, Mumbai’s other public transport utility, Brihanmumbai Electricity and Suburban Transport undertaking has reported an increase of over two lakh commuters per day. BEST authorities insist they did not gain any commuters from railways and in fact complimented the train services by starting more bus ferries from railway stations to the inner areas of the suburbs.
“Our studies suggested that we needed more services there and would attract more commuters if we extended our services to newly constructed housing complexes and colonies. We rescheduled bus timings and increased services during peak hours and concentrated on bulk routes, which helped,” said BEST Officer on Special Duty Victor Naigaonkar.
CR converting fleet for faster
travel Trains Will Now Be AC
and DC Compatible
Mumbai : Your daily train commute between home and work is set to get more comfortable and faster in the next few months. Central Railway (CR) is in the process of converting 39 of its DC trains (powered by 1500-volt direct current) to DC-and-AC-compatible ones; this will boost train speeds.
DC-and-AC-compatible trains are important because CR is converting its entire line to run on 25,000 volts of alternating current, which will let trains run faster and help in in augmenting
services.
The 39 rakes will also be recoloured to look like the new violet-and-white MRVCSiemens AC-DC rakes. The first such completed rake, train number 555, already stands proudly in the Matunga
workshop. It will be introduced in 45 days after it goes through tests.
The entire process has taken four months. Some of the older trains will be phased out. (A train below 15 years of age is called “young’’; they can have a life of 25 years after their makeover.)
The entire work was expected to be completed by December 2010, Matunga chief workshop manager A K Tiwari said. Central Railway could have replaced all the old trains with the new Siemens rakes but has decided to convert the trains since the Integral Coach Factory-Chennai has only a limited production capacity.
Long-distance services are on the revamp route
Mumbai: Long-distance commuters, too, have reasons to cheer as air-conditioned bogies are getting a facelift. Four air-conditioned coaches have already been refitted with completely different flooring, seat covers, panelling and curtains and the colour scheme has changed from blue to brown. Every month, four coaches will be revamped at the Matunga workshop.
The journey will be more comfortable for unreserved travellers as well. All generalclass seats,
which are now wooden, will have cushioned seats within a year. Almost 400 coaches have been fitted with cushioned seats and 700 more are in line.
CR has also started dismantling the uncomfortable third side berth which has received a lot of flak from commuters.
THE MATUNGA WORKSHOP
Spread over 35 hectares, the workshop works like an ecosystem by itself. It is here that trains— both long-distance and suburban—are overhauled or “reborn’’.
All major retro fitments happen here. Established in 1915, it was here that the president’s salon was manufactured in 1953.
It is the largest workshop on the Indian Railways, handling 175 non-suburban and 60 suburban trains every month. Work includes inspecting, stripping, repairing or maintenance, reassembling and inspecting of trains.
It’s back to old style comfy and long-lasting seats
The 4.5 lakh first-class commuters will soon get more comfortable seats. The new seats in the first-class compartments are being dismantled and replaced with the older version, which is less expensive and lasts longer. The seats will be brown in colour instead of the usual blue.
CR had changed the rubberised coir first-class seats to fancy densified thermally bonded polyester, which was twice as expensive but sagged after a few weeks’ use.
CR is also making changes to the suspension of suburban trains by replacing helical springs with pneumatic air springs; they will help trains run at higher speeds (from 85 kmph to 100 kmph).
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