Bombardier trains to hit Harbour line tracks soon

Mumbai: The sleek and comfortable Bombardier-make suburban trains will be brought to the Harbour line soon after training motormen and guards.

Officials said that the new, smoother Bombardier has been introduced on the Central Railway (CR) mainline just a month ago.

The Bombardier was first introduced on the Western Railway (WR) in phases in 2016, and a total 72 trains were run on WR.

The CR is trying to get the most recent technology train to the Harbour line as well, which is otherwise known to get the oldest rakes as compared to the CR mainline and WR.

CR divisional railway manager said, “There has been public demand that we being the newest local train to Harbour but unlike other lines, there are more motormen to train here because they operate trains on Harbour and Trans-Harbour while mainline motormen operate trains only on the mainline and are fewer in number.”

Commuters like Apurva Varadharajan, a resident of Seawoods, welcomed the decision saying, “It's no secret that the Harbour line sees trains that are close to retirement or being scrapped. So, if they are going to actually do this, it will finally be a recognition of the fact that Navi Mumbai cannot be taken lightly.”

The Bombardier train is popular because of features such as ample leg space, double handles while standing, and most importantly, the perforated grab pole at the entrance which reduces chances of commuters slipping and falling off running trains.

The CR’s mainline has seen induction of four Bombardier trains. Each train has been procured at Rs 35 crore and is surpassed only by the air-conditioned train which set the railway back by Rs 46 crore.