Kol gets first AC EMU rake, min fare to be 29
Kolkata: The city received its first air-conditioned local train on Wednesday, with another expected to arrive shortly. The train will operate on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, and the minimum fare will be Rs 29, Eastern Railway officials told TOI.
"Based on the current utilisation pattern, it has been decided that the new AC EMU train sent to the Sealdah division will run on the Sealdah-Ranaghat route. Indian Railways rationalised the fare of AC EMU suburban train services so that most commuters can afford it. A single journey suburban base fare is only Rs 29 for the first 10 km. The base fare is Rs 37 for 11 km to 15 km and so on. A monthly season ticket (MST) will cost Rs 590 and Rs 780 respectively," ER officials said.
The first AC rake, which was due to arrive in May, is late by a few weeks, but passengers agreed that the introduction of AC services in the suburban rail system would revolutionise the city's transportation scene.
The new rake will undergo trials before being commissioned. "We need to customise the rake first. This is the Railway's grand gift for the City of Joy and commuters of the Sealdah division," said Rajeev Saxena, DRM, Sealdah.
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The rake travelled from Chennai's Integral Coach Factory (ICF) via Howrah to Dum Dum, and then to Ranaghat carshed. It was pulled by a special engine.
The Sealdah-Ranaghat section was recommended by ER to the Railway Board because it is the most populous section in the Sealdah division. "The most number of suburban train users travel on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, which covers stations like Kalyani, Naihati, Barrackpore, Dum Dum, Bidhannagar and Sealdah," an official said.
The 12-coach steel-body AC train will travel at a maximum speed of 110 km/h. The features include sliding doors, CCTV watch, GPS-enabled train indication boards, a GPS-enabled passenger announcement system, and a talk-back facility to help communicate with the loco pilot and also aid the security of woman passengers. The 12 coaches of the rake are connected end-to-end by sealed wider vestibule gangways.
Kolkata: The city received its first air-conditioned local train on Wednesday, with another expected to arrive shortly.
The train will operate on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, and the minimum fare will be Rs 29, Eastern Railway officials told TOI.
"Based on the current utilisation pattern, it has been decided that the new AC EMU train sent to the Sealdah division will run on the Sealdah-Ranaghat route. Indian Railways rationalised the fare of AC EMU suburban train services so that most commuters can afford it. A single journey suburban base fare is only Rs 29 for the first 10 km.
The base fare is Rs 37 for 11 km to 15 km and so on. A monthly season ticket (MST) will cost Rs 590 and Rs 780 respectively," ER officials said.
The first AC rake, which was due to arrive in May, is late by a few weeks, but passengers agreed that the introduction of AC services in the suburban rail system would revolutionise the city's transportation scene.
The new rake will undergo trials before being commissioned. "We need to customise the rake first.
This is the Railway's grand gift for the City of Joy and commuters of the Sealdah division," said Rajeev Saxena, DRM, Sealdah. The rake travelled from Chennai's Integral Coach Factory (ICF) via Howrah to Dum Dum, and then to Ranaghat carshed. It was pulled by a special engine.
The Sealdah-Ranaghat section was recommended by ER to the Railway Board because it is the most populous section in the Sealdah division. "The most number of suburban train users travel on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, which covers stations like Kalyani, Naihati, Barrackpore, Dum Dum, Bidhannagar and Sealdah," an official said.
The 12-coach steel-body AC train will travel at a maximum speed of 110 km/h. The features include sliding doors, CCTV watch, GPS-enabled train indication boards, a GPS-enabled passenger announcement system, and a talk-back facility to help communicate with the loco pilot and also aid the security of woman passengers. The 12 coaches of the rake are connected end-to-end by sealed wider vestibule gangways.
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