Central Railways completed 95 years of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) service on February, 3. The first EMU service with 4-cars was flagged off by Sir Leslie Wilson, former Governor of Mumbai on February 3, 1925. The first service ran from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai (CSMT) to Kurla on Harbour Line.
A Central Railway (CR) spokesperson said that the train has been specially decorated with old nostalgic photographs and will recreate the first electric local journey. It has been painted in the original colour and given a few old features of the old era. The train will be open for passengers.
Also Read: Central Railway planning railway terminus at Parel, may see the removal of up to 2,000 trees
The train was flagged off by P. Vavre, Additional General Manager and Principal Chief Electrical Engineer, A.K. Gupta, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, Anup Agarwal, Chief Electrical Locomotive Engineer and Manoj Mahajan, Chief Electrical Service Engineer.
Here's the entire chronology of the EMU:
1925 - 4-car on Harbour Line
1927 - 8-car on Main Line & Harbour Line
1961 - 9-car on Mainline
1986 - 12-car on Mainline
1987 - 12-car towards Karjat
2008 - 12-car towards Kasara
2010 - 12-car on Transharbour Line
2012 - 15-car on Main line
2016 – 12-car on Harbour line
2020 – AC local on Transharbour line
Also Read: In A Bid To Reduce Crimes, Central Railway To Get Watchtowers
On one hand Central Railways is taking us back in time with this nostalgic ride, it is also looking at being relevant to the commuters of today. It has recently started first AC local, which will ply on the Trans-Harbour route between Thane and Panvel. It was flagged off on Thursday, January 30 by State Railway Minister Suresh Angadi.
This train has several distinctive features including GPS-based information system for passengers with intercom facility, two-sided displays and two double-sided displays in each coach. There are stainless steel passenger seats along with double-glass sealed windows that offer panoramic view outside. For the safety of passengers, the train has an automatic door closure system, alarm system for emergencies and a talk-back facility for communication between passengers and train crew.
Also Read: Amazon Will Now Ferry Their Parcels On Central Railway