Rail Darpan covers the journey of Western Railway
Western Railway’s inhouse publication, Rail Darpan, writes about the glorious past of Western Railway (WR) and speaks about its bright future. It is a magazine that highlights the services rendered by WR to its millions of commuters and the hard work of its people to drive progress and safeguard its passengers.
In the December issue of Rail Darpan, the highlight was on the evolution of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) services over Mumbai suburban section. Before EMU, Diesel Current Electric Multiple Unit (DCEMU) train technology had served Mumbai for eight decades. Started in 1928, the DCEMUs glorious journey is detailed in the current issue. It also focuses on the transformation to the alternate current technology from the old direct technology under the guidance of Anil Kumar Gupta, General Manager of Western Railway. The article on DCEMU highlighted the successful journey of this technology.
Like always, the magazine also featured various cultural programmes, language promotion, sports activities, rail exhibitions, seminars and Bollywood celebrities experience with Mumbai local.
Transformational journey
There is no doubt about the role railway played in the life of Mumbaikars. This mode of transportation has not only provided the cheapest and most reliable transportation to the public but have also played a vital role in the social and economic well-being of the city.
In the middle of the 19th century, the British East India Company brought railway to India and it was known ‘aag-gaadi’ or ‘carriage on fire’. Since then, technologies around trains have evolved.
Commenting about this journey of railways, a senior railway official said initially the local train was hauled by steam engines and consisted of three coaches. The steam local train services were started on April 12, 1867, with one train directed between Virar and Back Bay. When electrification commenced, the first electrical local train services were inaugurated on January 5, 1928, by Sir Leslie Wilson, then governor of Mumbai.
Slowly with the rise in popularity of these trains and to meet the increasing demands, the three-coach locals gave way to four-coach locals, and then six-coach locals. At one point of time, it also ferried passengers in eight-coach trains. “The first nine-coach train was introduced in the year 1961 and in order to meet the needs of increased population. WR kept improving their services year after year,” said Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of WR.
The total number of services in Western Railway crossed the 1,000 mark in 2013. “The year 2009 witnessed another milestone landmark in the annals of Indian railways when the world’s first 15-coach train was introduced in Western Railway,” added Bhakar. It started with one 15-coach train service, but now it runs around 54 services of 15-coach trains and also provides air-conditioned service which was introduced on December 25, 2017.
The AC local which is the first of its kind EMU suburban rake in India makes 12 trips daily between Churchgate and Virar. The state-ofthe-art local with automated doors give safety the topmost priority. This feature was appreciated by the commuters as well. Compared to the existing fare structure, most of the commuters said the ticket fare of AC local is affordable. The fare price is not too high compared to a first class ticket. Shweta Singh, a resident of Navy Nagar who travels to Borivali daily in first class said, “The AC train is the boon for passengers. I want to thank the railways for starting this service on the Western line. If you compare the ticket price with that charged by the fleet cabs, it is not expensive.”
Love from Bollywood
Bollywood and railway go hand-in-hand as most of the railway trains or its premises is being used by the entertainment industry for movies, serials or advertisement. To give an authentic look, the producers prefer shooting train sequences on the railway stations or surrounding areas.
R Balakrishnan, popularly known as R Balki, who has delivered award-winning movies like Paa, Cheeni Kum, English Vinglish, Ki and Ka and Shamitabh, had filmed ‘Padman’, at Kalakund station of WR in Madhya Pradesh. Balki said railways play a great role in fostering a sense of nationality and integrity. “It connects the people with different caste, religion, gender, creed and many others,” added Balki.
He further said whenever he visited Mumbai, he travels in a local train. “I feel it is the suburban local which give Mumbai its cosmopolitan character. But I prefer using them late at night to avoid the rush,” Balki stated. If not director Balki would have preferred to become a cricket commentator or ticket collector. “…I love to collect miniature model of trains,” he added.
Sharing his experience while shooting at Kalakund station in MP, Balki said it was due to best support from the railway staff that they were able to film the scene beautifully.