By IANS
Mumbai : Union Minister of State for Railways Narayan Rathwa Thursday flagged off an ultra modern suburban local train and promised to increase the facilities for Mumbai’s eight million commuters.
Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said the government was hopeful of a major boost from the forthcoming union budget in the form of funds for the second and third phase of the ambitious Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) currently underway.
With this new train, the Central Railway (CR) will start a dozen new services on the Thane-Vashi section in Navi Mumbai.
The number of services is expected to go up from the existing 66 to 78, Deshmukh said, offering relief to the millions of commuters living in those areas.
Deshmukh, who was accompanied by state Finance Minister Jayant Patil, said the government was planning to start sky rail and sea route services to ease the burgeoning traffic problems afflicting the country’s commercial capital.
The newly launched local trains, equipped with the latest technology, will be deployed for regular operations from Friday, he added.
The technology includes microprocessor-based Variable Voltage Variable Frequency (VVVF) control of Inter Gate Bipolar Transistor converters and inverters, which would facilitate smooth starting and stopping and a smoother journey.
Meanwhile, the CR plans to increase the number of coaches in suburban trains plying on the main line from the existing nine to 12 gradually.
It will also introduce 195 modernised trains, which will reduce the number of commuters load from the present 5,000 to nearly half in each coach with a capacity to hold 1,700 people.