Kolkata Metro: AC Rakes Start Their Commercial Run Almost Two Years After Their Arrival In The City

Two air-conditioned (AC) rakes built for Kolkata Metro service started their commercial service, almost two year after arriving in Kolkata, reports The Telegraph.

The rakes, which made to Kolkata from the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur anear Chennai, in July 2017, flunked multiple trials before getting the Commissioner of Railway Safety’s clearance in December 2018.

The authorities were awaiting the Railway Board’s clearance before deploying the rakes for commercial run. “The boar d’s clearance came in the second half of Wednesday. One of the rakes left Dum Dum around 8.30pm on its maiden commercial run and made a round trip,” a senior Metro official said.

The two rakes made at least four trips on Thursday with the numbers supposed to go up gradually.

With India seeking more and more metro services to address the traffic woes of its ever expanding cities, the demand for the rakes have gone up. Along with the Integral Coach Factories, companies like Alstom are foraying into the game.

As a result, three Metro coach manufacturing units have already been established in India. While Bombardier Transportation has a unit in Savli, Gujarat, state owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited has a unit in Bengaluru. Alstom has also established a new facility at Sri City near Chennai in Andhra Pradesh.