Title - RAIL NEWS CENTER: Central Railway rake with clubbed ladies coaches to arrive only after June

MUMBAI: Central Railway's plan to introduce a 15-car rake in which all the five ladies coaches are clubbed together has been delayed. The rake, which was proposed to be launched on April 15, will now roll out only after June.

The clubbing of all five ladies coaches is expected to ensure better security for women passengers.

Subodh Jain, member (engineering), said, "We are retrofitting the rake to enhance its capacity. We hope to complete this work by June 30 after which the rake can be introduced."

Jain, who holds the additional charge of CR general manager, said, "We have also decided to switch to 25 KV alternating current from 1,500 volt direct current between Kalyan and Thane as well as Thane and LTT on May 3."

Under the existing system, the ladies compartments are located in the middle as well as both the end of a rake. In these 15-car rakes, five coaches on the northern end of the train will be reserved only for women commuters. If the experiment is successful, the system can be implemented in 12-car train too in future.