The current two-seater experiment in Mumbai local trains is not new to the city. According to senior officials (working and retired), the two-seater, nicknamed Khada Gaadi aka “standing train”, was tried and tested twice earlier —once in 1975 and again in 2005-6 only to prove unsuccessful both the times.
Khada Gaadi was a name derived from the fact that most commuters had to stand in the train. The experiment, aimed at reducing the rush, was witnessed by retired Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) Chief manager director P.C. Sehgal as a junior in 1975 and as a senior in 2006.
Mr Sehgal recalled that they had tried not only the two-by-two seats being discussed currently but also one-by-two, three-by-one and longitudinal seats akin to Metro trains in 2006. “We were extremely disappointed when commuters approached the high court, which ordered the railways to shut down the experiment. At the time, Central Railway was still running nine-coaches on the mainline and people were falling off trains and losing their lives even then.”
In 1975, commuters rejected the idea saying it was not feasible for those travelling for two hours or longer. When it was re-launched in 2006, commuters directly approached the HC and asked that the railways not be allowed to change coaches to such a seating style.
“The Khada Gaadi issue died down as nine-coaches were converted to the 12 coaches you see today and around 1,500 brand new coaches were inducted into the service in 2007,” said Mr Sehgal.
However, the experiment was renewed for the third time when 21-year-old Bhavesh Nakate fell off a running train between Diva and Kopar stations on November 27, sparking public outrage. Other senior officials, who were juniors back then, said resurrecting the plan was as good as the rolling of dice. “It’s all about how commuters in 2015 react.
Currently, we do not have the capacity to increase the number of coaches from 12 to 15 but immediate measures can be the two-seater arrangement, but judging from previous reactions, the experiment has not been successful,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
Co-incidentally, the special committee appointed by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu met with respective MPs for a third time on Saturday and assured them that the two-seater train will run on December 22. Present at the meeting was MP Kirit Somaiya, who said that the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has been asked to further work on the trespassing survey, which has so far identified 22 spots with the highest number of deaths.“We will collate the data and increasing the number of coaches and the two-seater will be the major recommendations that the committee will make. The recommendations will be sent in a report in time for our December 31 deadline,” said Mr Somaiya.
