The Mumbai local trains are said to be the most important aspect of Mumbaikars and the metro city’s life. Some even term Mumbai locals as the lifeline of the economic capital of India. Indian Railways is planning to upgrade the suburban railway network with new swanky trains
Mumbai local and Vande Bharat are set to meet in the not-too-distant future to create what is expected to be a sublime travel experience for Mumbai’s 22.9 million denizens. New Vande Bharat trains are poised to become the primary transportation mode in Mumbai
On May 19, the Railway Board approved the procurement of 238 Vande Bharat rakes to serve on the 158-year-old Mumbai suburban rail network. The Mumbai locals are going to be completely overhauled under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)
Officials of the executing agency, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corp. (MRVC) told Business Today that work on tendering is already underway. “Timelines will be drawn soon as the tender documents are ready,” the officials said
For the overhaul of Mumbai local, Vande Bharat rakes will be acquired under the MUTP-3 and MUTP-3A phases with budgets of Rs 10,947 crore and Rs 33,960 crore, respectively. This will be overseen by the Ministry of Railways and the Maharashtra government
Forty-seven rakes of 12 cars each will be acquired under MUTP-3 and the rest in the MUTP-3A phase. “This is the initial sanction obtained under MUTP-3 and 3A for the procurement of rolling stock and setting up maintenance facilities,” officials told BT. Other than rolling stock, expansion of the existing lines and construction of new corridors will also be undertaken
The new Vande Bharat rakes that will replace the decades-old Mumbai local trains will be air-conditioned with an automatic door-closing system and vestibuled coaches. They will offer uniform seating and efficient LED lighting in coaches
According to officials, the new rakes that will replace Mumbai local trains will also be equipped with large display panels for infotainment and indicators for stations on the exit side. Passenger safety will be ensured through CCTV surveillance and a talk-back system
In the new Vande Bharat trains, the seating arrangement, comprising ergonomically designed seats, will be the same as the existing electric multiple unit (EMU) trains. A key differentiator will be separate air-conditioned vendor compartments located at either end of the train
According to Shailesh Pathak, an urban transport expert and Secretary General at the FICCI, with passenger coach doors closed while in motion, "loss of life would be completely obviated.” In 2022, 700 people lost their lives after falling off running trains, according to Government Railway Police (GRP) data. Pathak too feels that with the introduction of the new rakes, the suburban rail network and metro rail will complement each other
In 1925, a four-car EMU service was launched between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, then called Victoria Terminus, and Kurla. A first for India, that event marked the dawn of modern, rail-based urban transportation here. With the introduction of the Vande Bharat local, the railways will leapfrog to the next level