MUMBAI: Country’s first-ever indigenously manufactured electric multiple unit (EMU) for suburban travel--‘Medha’--was flagged off here on Saturday by railway minister Suresh Prabhu.
Manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, the rake has a special indigenous 3-phase propulsion system and it reportedly saves foreign exchange as well as cuts on production cost. The EMUs of Indian Railways usually have systems from either Bombardier or Siemens.
The new rake is powered by Hyderabad-based firm Medha Servo Drives. The rake has in-built systems to minimise breakdowns during travel. The rake has a capacity to travel at the speeds up to 110 kmph.
The rake is special as it will save foreign exchange worth US$ 50 lakh per EMU rake along with 25 per cent saving in the cost of manufacture.
The manufacturing cost of these rakes is also said to be lower because of this reason. The cost of a single rake with 12 coaches is Rs 43.23 crore.
The stainless steel coaches have easy to slide and light weight doors with ‘user friendly’ locking arrangement. ICF has also provided LED-based lighting for better illumination and energy conservation. It features GPS based information systems with audio visual indication of stations.
The rake has modular roof-mounted forced ventilation system which supplies 16000 cubic m/hr fresh air into the passenger area.