Siemens train run on DC anniversary

The Central Railway (CR) has run its second Siemens-made train on the Harbour a day before the 91st anniversary of Direct Current (DC) which had run for the first time between CST and Kurla back in 1925.

The Harbour line is the only section in the entire country that still operates on the DC of 15,000 volts of power and was also the first on which the same technology was run. The CR has slowly been introducing Siemens rakes on the Harbour line.

The Siemens rakes are broader and have better ventilated than the current ones that are running on the Harbour line. The first Siemens-made train ran on the Harbour on January 29.

“These trains have been coming in from the Western Railway which has been transferring its old trains to the CR as the brand new Bombardier trains have been trickling in from Chennai. We have got 16 Siemens rakes from which we have put two trains on the Harbour,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.

The Indian Railway had begun to make the shift to Alternate Current (AC) trains in the country in the 1960s but was unable to do so in Mumbai due to the massive capacity and huge number of rolling stock that would be required.

The AC system runs on 25,000 volts and will decrease power consumption, thereby reducing the cost of running the local trains.

“Along with reduced costs there will also be fewer number of technical breakdowns as the AC trains are basically the next step in better trains,” added the official.