Mumbai : In a bid to provide a cooler and comfortable journey to tourists visiting Matheran in summer, the Central Railway plans to attach one air-conditioned coach to the Neral-Matheran toy train.
“Travelling in the general coach on the Neral-Matheran stretch is not pleasant, especially in summer. However, once the AC coach is attached, it will attract more tourist and be a good source of income,” said a CR official.
In a pilot run, the AC coach will be installed on the train and based on the feedback and success of the trial, more coaches will be added.
He said they were currently working on the design to ensure that commuter safety would not be compromised while enhancing the comfort quotient. “The idea of adding an AC coach to the train was suggested by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal,” said the CR official.
Another official said they would use a diesel generator to run the AC system in the train. “As it will run on diesel, permission has to be sought as Matheran is an eco-sensitive zone. It appears that we may have to reduce two seats to adjust the generator. We are working on ways to avoid reduction in seats,” he added.
