Women travelling in local trains would soon be able to report any inconvenience or dangers to the concerned railway officials directly. Upgrading its rolling stock to a step ahead, the Eastern Railway today rolled out a new three-phase EMU rake that includes emergency talk back units (ETBU) particularly for women passengers.

The rake with advanced features has been commissioned in Howrah division of the Eastern Railway. The upgraded rake was manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai and reached the ER on 11 August. The new 3-Phase Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) rake features the MEDHA propulsion system for enhancing passenger services and operational efficiency.

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According to sources, for now, the ER has received and trundled one such rake as Bandel-Naihati local. The rake, having train number 37542, has enhanced surveillance and communication system. According to the ER, each coach is equipped with surveillance cameras, a passenger information system (PIS), and push switch type alarm chain pull (ACP) systems, providing passengers with improved security and convenience. The three-phase EMU rake includes improved features for both passengers and operations. It also has systems installed for better understanding of faults and failures on line by the crew. The rake is fitted with pantograph cameras, cab cameras, front cameras, side cameras, and a CCTV monitoring display unit in the cabs for enabling live monitoring and facilitating real-time fault diagnosis.

Amid the demand for women safety, the rake that was flagged off as down Bandel-Naihati local today also has ladies’ coaches fitted with emergency talk back units (ETBU) to address any emergency situations faced by women passengers while travelling.

Apart from having features like rake rollback protection system, fire detection system, passenger announcement (PA) system, and cab AC, the rake is advanced even in terms of environment friendliness. The new rake is a ‘regenerative braking system’ that allows saving of about 30 per cent of energy consumption during braking, making the rake not only environmentally friendly but also cost-efficient. The coach body and passenger seats of the rake are constructed from stainless steel, reducing fire hazards and enhancing passenger safety.

As learnt from sources, the zonal railway has introduced the rake as a pilot project for now. The ER is mulling over plans to expand the fleet soon and roll out few more such new 3-Phase EMU rakes on other routes in the near future.