Depending on the train traffic en route, the train, which will be pulled by a locomotive, is expected to arrive in the city in anything between three days and a week.
The third Bombardier rake, which was expected to leave for Mumbai from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on Monday, will now leave only in the first week of July. A last-minute hitch with some seats in a couple of coaches needing attention caused the delay, railway officials told dna.
The third rake was supposed to be sent to Mumbai by May, as per plans drawn up by the railways in March. Six rakes were to be sent in by July. "The production schedule of the Bombardier rake has been slow because of various reasons, including its late induction into daily operations," said an official. The change in plans means Mumbai will get two Bombardier rakes in July.
Depending on the train traffic en route, the train, which will be pulled by a locomotive, is expected to arrive in the city in anything between three days and a week.
"Firstly, local trains meant for Mumbai, at 3.66 metres, are wider than all other categories of trains in India. This leads to problems in transportation, with the rake having to be moved very slowly in certain sections. Secondly, monsoon means long-distance and freight trains are mostly running late and this Mumbai-bound rake will get way after other trains are cleared. So, it might take a bit longer for the rake to arrive in Mumbai," said an official overseeing the transportation.
As reported by dna this March, the third Bombardier rake will have one feature modified from the two Bombardier rakes that were commissioned on Western Railway in March — the grab pole at the door.
"The grab pole was the first complaint we had got in October 2013, a week after the rake was sent to Mumbai. So, it was decided that the other 70 Bombardier rakes would have normal grab poles," said a senior railway official.
The hexagonal ring at centre of the grab pole in the first two rakes was opposed by railway officials on two counts. The first was that Mumbaikars, having formed a habit of catching a running train, could meet with an accident or slip owing to not being used to the new design. The second was that the new pole might make alighting and boarding train more cumbersome, with high chances of someone's wrist getting stuck in.
"During peak hours, if someone's wrist gets stuck in the ring, it could lead to a serious injury," said an official.
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