Indian Railways: Electric Multiple Unit (EMU)

Indian railways has several types of passenger coaches.

Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) coaches are used for suburban traffic in large cities - mainly Bombay, Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. These coaches numbered 7,474 on 31 March 2010. They have second class and first class seating accommodation.

Passenger coaches numbered 43,518 on 31 March 2010. Other coaches (luggage coach, parcel van, guard's coach, mail coach, etc.) numbered 6,505 on 31 March 2010.

The Mumbai Suburban Railway is a mass transit system serving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It is part of the public transport system of Mumbai, is provided for by the state-run Indian Railways' two zonal Western Railways and Central Railways. The system carries more than 7.24 million commuters on a daily basis. It has the highest passenger densities of any urban railway system in the world. The trains plying on its routes are commonly referred to as local trains or simply as locals by the general populace.

Mumbai Suburban Railway old EMU (Indian Railway)

The Mumbai Suburban Railway, as well as Indian Railways, are an offshoot of the first railway to be built by the British in India in April 1853, and was also the oldest railway system in Asia. The first train ran between Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane, a distance of 34 km, on 16 April 1853 at 3:35PM. Since 1991, it has faced rapid expansion. The Bombay Railway History Group has been striving to document railway heritage along this line.

Due to the geographical spread of the population and location of business areas, the rail network is the principal mode of mass transport in Mumbai. As Mumbai's population swelled, frequent overcrowding has become a serious issue, and numerous safety concerns have been raised over the years. A metro system and a monorail system are under construction in Mumbai to ease the travelling conditions in the Suburban network.

Anatomy:

The suburban trains consists of 9 and 12 coaches. To alleviate the problems of overcrowding, the 9 coach trains are being phased out replacing them with 12 coaches. 15 coach trains were introduced in 2010 however, these are few in number. Broadly the train contains the general compartments, ladies compartments, general first class and ladies first class. Men are not allowed to travel in the ladies compartment.

New white and purple coloured rakes on the Western Line

The first class is more expensive, and thereby tends to be less crowded. The first class should not be boarded without a valid ticket, since the penalty is high if caught.

Each train contains special coaches to cater to different needs. These are normally referred to as 'Compartments'

The General compartment: Also commonly called 'Gent's second class', as the majority population in these compartments is men. The compartment is open to women and children as well.

Interior of New EMUs of Mumbai

The General First Class compartment: Again commonly known as 'Gent's first class' since majority population is men. Women and children can also board this compartment. The coach is designated by red and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes.

The Ladies compartment: Commonly known as 'Ladies second class'. This compartment is reserved solely for females, however male children up to the age of 13 can travel in this compartment. Men are not allowed to travel, and may face a penalty. Some of the coaches of ladies compartments are open to general public between 11:15pm – 6:30am. These are indicated by a note near the doors of the compartments. The coach is designated by green and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes.

The Ladies First Class compartment: Commonly known as 'Ladies first class'. This compartment is reserved solely for females, however male children up to the age of 13 can travel in this compartment. Men are not allowed to travel, and may face a penalty. Some of the coaches of ladies compartments are open to general public between 11:15pm – 6:30am. These are indicated by a note near the doors of the compartments. The coach is designated by red and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes. This compartment is adjacent to the ladies compartment on the western line.

For Handicap and Cancer Patients: For the physically challenged and cancer patients, separate coaches are reserved in each train. On a platform, one can locate these by signs or by following a 'Beep- Beep- Beep' sound indicator for the visually impaired. These coaches are open to all the genders. One needs a valid certificate of disability(in case it is not apparent) to board the compartment. Failure to do so may result in a penalty.

For Senior Citizens: A special coach is reserved for passengers above the age of 60. These coaches are open to all the genders.

For goods and heavy luggage: Heavy goods and luggages can be transported via the suburban trains using the compartments specially designed and reserved for this purpose.

Locating the position of compartments can be difficult for newbies and tourists. You can ask the seasoned passengers or always approach the vendors on the food stalls on the platform.

Ticketing:

Tickets for the suburban trains can be purchased at every train station. Travelling without a valid ticket is an offence and if caught can result into penalty. The penalty is steeper for passengers travelling in first class without a valid ticket.

Tickets can be bought for single journey (one way) or a return journey. A return ticket is valid till the next day on weekdays and till Monday if purchased on a Friday. The ticket counters usually have long queues.

Automatic Ticket Vending Machine

To save time, a Coupon Booklet can be purchased and the coupons can be punched for the designated fare at the Coupon Validating Machines(CVMs) at every station. The ticket fares matrix is pasted above the CVM. There are also Smart Cards available that can be topped up (recharged with some amount) and one can use it to print tickets for themselves from an Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVMs). A Season Ticket can be purchased if one is commuting regularly. One can choose the validity of these tickets from 1 month, 3 months to a year. Season Tickets are the most cost effective and time efficient option for regular commuters.

CVMs will be phased out from Central and Western railway stations in March 2013 in order to popularize ATVMs. The move was prompted by fears that fraudulent coupons can be pushed into circulation as the CVM network is not linked to the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) operated unreserved ticketing system that accounts for all the transactions done through booking windows and ATVMs.[5]

Tourists can avail the option of 'Tourist ticket'. Under the tourist ticket scheme, passengers can travel unlimited times during its validity between any stations on all lines Mumbai Suburban Railway. Tickets are available for first and second class. Effective 1 August 2012, the fares for first class tickets are 210 (US$3.8) (1 day), 365 (US$6.61) (3 days) and 430 (US$7.78) (5 days). These tickets are issued maximum 3 days in advance, excluding the first day of validity. No refund is admissible on unused/partially used tourist tickets. But tourist tickets booked in advance can be cancelled before the day of validity on which charges of Rs 10 for second class and Rs 20 for first class per passenger will be deducted.

Fares: