Chennai To Operate Its First AC Suburban Train By January
Chennai: Amid increasing heat due to the warming climate each passing year, passengers in Chennai suburban trains from now onwards can travel in air-conditioned coaches. The commuters can seek relief from the suffocation caused by the overcrowding and sweating with the AC cooling. The operation of the AC coaches would be kickstarted in a month as Thiruttani in the west would be getting a 12-car air-conditioned rake from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) by then.
The suburban trains on four sections in the city covering nearby districts of Chengalpattu in the south and Arakkonam are being operated by the Chennai division of Southern Railway.
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Chennai DRM Mr. Eerya said that the AC rake would likely be delivered in January, and the operation of the trains with AC coaches will also be started soon, noting that it has been a long-felt demand of the commuters.
Mumbai had launched India’s first AC suburban train service in 2017, and the city has the highest number of AC suburban train services being operated in the country.
However, the railway officials are working on fixing the fares for the AC suburban services, and the ticket fare in the non-AC first-class coach of suburban trains costs five times the normal fares.
The latest move for Chennai came following Chennai Divisional Railway Manager Vishwanath Eerya and senior railway officials strongly pitching to the Railway Board for allotting a 12-car AC rake for suburban commuters in the city, according to the report by The Hindu.
This 12-car rake would be operated on three sections of Beach-Chengalpattu via Tambaram, Moore Market complex-Avadi, and Arakkonam and Gummidipoondi, except the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) of Beach-Velachery.
Notably, the Chennai division has also demanded a second one, which it is expected to get by March next year.
The railway officials are currently working on fixing the fares for the AC suburban services.
