38 Japan Railway & Transport Review • January 1997

Urban Railways in China and India

Features

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Indian Solutions to Suburban Rail Transport

Ram Chandra Acharya

The total population of India has in-creased by 350% since early this centu-ry, but its urban population has shot upby 840%. As a result, metropolises, cit-ies and towns have sprawled out, engulf-ing nearby villages or smaller townshipsand converting them to suburbs. Theteeming populations of these satellitetowns, where housing was available atreasonable prices, has no choice but tocommute long distances, thereby throw-ing an increasing burden on road and rail.Since rail transport is a vital developmentarea in any city’s infrastructure, it con-tinues to play a key role in transporta-tion, especially in the cities of India.

Growth ofSuburban Rail Traffic

Over the last 30 years, suburban rail traf-fic in India has experienced phenome-nal growth. Some interesting statistics ofthis traffic on Indian Railways in 1995–96 are shown below (Table).In the Indian Railways’ system, the com-muter or suburban train is heavily subsi-dized and is part of their social burden.Monthly season tickets cost only about thesame as 10 return fares. Consequently, al-though suburban trains carry 21% of thetotal passenger traffic of 320 billion pas-senger km, they contribute only 12% of

total earnings of about US$1.56 billion.Bombay (now Mumbai) continues to bethe largest city with an urban populationof over 12.6 million, followed by Calcuttawith 11.1 million. Delhi ranks third with8.4 million, followed by Madras at 5.4million.

EMUs—The Workhorse

Mumbai, where the first Indian train ranover 140 years ago, takes the credit of

operating perhaps one of the most heavilyworked suburban networks in the world!The two 1,676-mm-gauge suburbannetworks of the Central and Western Rail-ways, transport almost 1 million passen-gers every day with clockwork regularity,headway being down to just 3 minutesduring peak hours. Compared to the nor-mal 3,251-mm wide passenger stock, theEMUs (Electric Multiple Units) with anextra-wide 3,658-mm body can carry anaverage load of 110 seated and 220standing. The EMU design also takes intoaccount running at twice this capacity atDense Crush Load (DCL), and at threetimes at Peak Dense Crush Load (PDCL).Over 3,600 of these wide-body EMUcoaches, manufactured by the IntegralCoach Factory (ICF) of Madras, and M/SJessops of Calcutta, form the backboneof the suburban services of South-East-ern (315 km) and Eastern Railways (430km) around Calcutta, Southern Railways(300 km) around Madras and Bangalore,Northern Railways (440 km) around Del-hi, and Central Railways (350 km) aroundMumbai.Last but not least is the 85-km stretch ofWestern Railways which for most part

2600-hp Diesel Electric Locomotive in Middle Providing Acceleration Comparable to EMU (Author)

Suburban Non-Suburban

% of total number of passengers 62 38% of passenger-km travelled 21 79Earnings per km (pais) 9.5 19.1% of total revenue 12 88Total number of trains run (approx.) 3000 900 Long dist. 600 OthersAverage distance travelled (km) 28 170

Indian Railway Statistics (1995–1996)

1960–61 1990–91 IncreaseTotal passenger journeys (millions) 680 2258.5 381%Passenger-km (millions) 11,770 59,578 506%Average distance travelled (km) 17.3 26.4 152%

Growth of Suburban Rail Traffic in India

39Japan Railway & Transport Review • Jaunary 1997Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

runs at quadruple capacity, perhaps car-rying the highest level of commuter traf-fic in the world. While the older systemsof the Western and Central Railways op-erate at 3,000 volts DC, all other sectionsincluding the IR main line and trunkroutes, operate at 25 kV AC. Normal trainformation consists of three or sometimesfour motor coaches (powered by four167-kW nose-hung traction motors) andtwo trailer coaches.However, introduction of the wide-bodyEMU coaches posed serious problems formost of the electrified trunk routes, onaccount of the extensive infringementand relocation of fixed structures that in-troduction would have involved. ICFcame to the rescue by developing andmanufacturing 3,250-mm wide EMUstock for mainline service (MEMUs); over60 motor and 200 trailer coaches havebeen put into service, bringing much-needed relief to commuters on about1,700 route km around smaller cities. Sixmore sections have been identified forMEMU introduction in 1996–97, replac-ing the standard steel-body coacheshauled by main-line locomotives.Meanwhile, ICF has been steadily in-creasing its output of wide-body EMUstock over the last few years and achieveda record of sorts by manufacturing 107motor coaches in 1995–96, a quantumleap over the 46 manufactured in 1991-92. This signifies a major input for theever-increasing demand for EMUs forcommuter service. ICF has also designedand manufactured 47 coaches of the spe-cial 2.74-m wide stock for the 17-km Cal-cutta METRO system.

ElectrificationNo Longer A Constraint

On non-electrified sections, old slowpassenger services have been modifiedover the years to serve as commutertrains. Consisting of ordinary steel-bodycoaches, they were hauled by steam lo-

comotives which were replaced in duecourse by diesels. However, no attemptwas made to change the basic featuresof the train, so they were almost incapa-ble of meeting the basic requirements forcommuter service, and remained unpop-ular. The hordes of commuters preferredboarding long-distance trains and apply-ing the emergency brakes to force un-scheduled stops. This was fast becoming

a major nuisance, and tended to createlaw-and-order problems.The wide-body EMU coaches on the oth-er hand, had large doorways, adequatestanding room, higher seating capacity,air brakes for fast deceleration, and higherhorsepower per coach for quick acceler-ation. They were very popular with com-muters and set the standard for expectedservice and comfort. Consequently, the

Push-Pull Rake on Inaugural Run at Sainthia Junction (Author)

Commuters Spilling Out of EMU Rakes at Churchgate Station, Mumbai (Author)

40 Japan Railway & Transport Review • January 1997

Urban Railways in China and India

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

suburban or mass transit services cameto be closely identified with electrifica-tion, which was considered a precursorto any proposal to introduce commuterservice.

Enter Push-Pull Service

The performance shortfalls of the diesel-loco-hauled steel-coach trains were over-come by an innovative design introducedfirst on Eastern Railways in 1990. Thetrain was configured of the same steelcoaches that had hitherto been workingon fast passenger and commuter service,but the diesel loco was attached in themiddle, eliminating the need to reversethe loco at terminal stations. The lead-ing part of end coaches was convertedinto a fully-fledged driver’s cabin withthe control stand accommodating the airbrake system, etc. The diesel locomo-tive was controlled via a standard Multi-ple Unit (MU) cable running the fulllength of the train.Limiting the train to 10 coaches ensuresthe same acceleration levels as theEMUs—a vital factor in making the Push-Pull trains an efficient and fast suburbanservice, comparable to what major me-tropolises such as Mumbai, Calcutta, Ma-dras and Delhi could offer. Efficiency andbraking force were also brought to parby replacing the coach vacuum brakeswith more powerful and quick-acting airbrakes. The coach interior was modifiedand doors widened to permit adequatestanding room and quicker entry and exit.This Push-Pull service has been the an-swer to the prayers of a large section ofpopulation commuting to cities stillawaiting railway electrification (and giv-en the present resource crunch, who maybe in for a long wait). By the end of 1995,over 75 such rakes are plying the non-electrified sections of various local rail-ways. The conversion cost of Rs.60 lacs(about US$200,000) is a cost effective

Indian Railway Regions

34

2

1

7

8

69

5

I N D I ACALCUTTA

NEW DELHI

MUMBAI(BOMBAY)

CHENNAI(MADRAS)

1. Southern Railway2. South Central Railway3. Central Railway4. Western Railway5. Northern Railway6. North Eastern Railway7. South Eastern Railway8. Eastern Railway9. N.E. Frontier Railway

Push-Pull Rake Leaving Maintenance Shed at Ambala, Northern Railways (Author)

(Source: Railway Gazette International)

41Japan Railway & Transport Review • January 1997Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Ram Chandra AcharyaMr. R.C. Acharya is a railway consultant and freelance writer. He is a Chartered Engineer and

Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (London). He started work as a junior officer in the

Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers in 1956, moving up to Chief Mechanical Engineer

at the Integral Coach Factory, Madras, and Centre For Modernization Of Workshops (COFMOW),

New Delhi, before assuming the post of Chief Administrative Officer, Diesel Component Works,

Patiala. He worked as General Manager, Eastern Railways before being promoted as Member

(Mechanical), Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary to the Goverment of India before retiring.

way of meeting the urgent requirementsof mass transit.Sprawling cities like Jaipur, Trichy, Trivan-drum, Coimbatore, Ludhiana, Chandi-garh with large commuting populationscan now have hope of fast and efficientsuburban train services matching the abil-ity of EMUs in major metropolises. Foronce, the resource crunch excuse is notgood enough; the resources are alreadyin place waiting to be redeployed in amore innovative and imaginative way.

Better Deal for Commuters

At the same time, the Research Designand Standards Organization (RSDO), theR&D arm of Indian Railways has comeup with other innovative solutions in theform of Diesel Electric Multiple Units(DEMUs) fitted with a 700-hp VTA 1,710-liter Kirloskar Cummins engine. With1,100-volt DC for controls and auxiliarysupplies, and AC/DC electrics from NGEFBangalore, they are expected to run withtwo trailer coaches like EMUs. While thepower car has a capacity of only 72 seat-ed and 72 standing due to the space tak-en by the overboard engine, the trailercars have a capacity of 108 seated and216 standing.Railcars with a 300-hp Kir loskarCummins engine, and capable of carry-ing 150, have also been designed for sec-tions with comparatively lower levelsof commuter traffic. They are currentlybeing manufactured but in limited num-bers. ICF is now set to manufacture theMEMUs, DEMUs and railcars, whichshould soon hit the tracks in ever-increas-ing numbers. The company is executinga master plan to introduce no less than81 Push-Pull/ DEMUs, 66 MEMUs, 23 BGand 30 MG rail buses in the near future—a bonanza indeed for commuters inIndia. �

(Source: Integral Coach Factory, Madras)