In less than a month's time, Central Railway passengers might get their first-ever air-conditioned local train. The train will commence its maiden run in January 2020 and is likely to be piloted by a motor woman, Mumtaz Kazi.
CR officials said that Kazi is currently being trained in the handling of the new train. Currently, Western Railway has two AC rakes on its line, of which one is operational while the other is being overhauled.
The first AC local for Central Railway arrived at the Kurla car shed on December 9, Monday. The divisional railway manager, CR, Shalabh Goel said that modification work, including those of electrical fitments, will be completed in a month, after which it will be commissioned.
He added that nearly 100 staffers were being trained to operate the AC local, and they have planned to deploy a woman to pilot it on its maiden run.
In the meantime, the second AC rake will come in March 2020 for Central Railway, followed by four more at the end of the year. Costing ₹ 54 crore, the AC local has no general or first-class compartments.
It will be able to carry 6,000 passengers and has features like the 'emergency talk back' system, for passengers to communicate with the train's guard, and a GPS-based passenger information system,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, CR.
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