Rs10 train ride priced at Rs10,000

 On a normal day, it takes less than 30 minutes for a local train to cover the 16km between Kurla and CST. And it costs a commuter about Rs10 for a second-class ticket and Rs90 for a first-class one.
However, Central Railway offered Mumbai commuters 'a historic ride' on the last direct current (DC) suburban train on Saturday night at a cost of Rs10,000. Not surprisingly, there were hardly any takers for the ride, despite the authorities claiming that the proceeds would be donated to provide relief to people in drought-hit Marathwada region.
The last DC train was set to leave Kurla at 11.30pm on Saturday and reach CST at 15 minutes past midnight on Sunday. Those shelling out Rs10,000 for the 45-minute journey would also be able to watch the 'live conversion' of the Central Railway corridor from 1,500 volt DC to 25,000 volt AC traction, according to a spokesperson.
Obviously, most Mumbai commuters travelling by suburban trains hardly have that kind of cash to spend on a weekend, and those who do have such money had better ideas about spending Rs10,000 on a Saturday night, instead of splurging it on a 45-minute train journey and witness the live conversion of an ageing and crumbling system.
The suburban section of Mumbai, between CST and Kalyan, was electrified in 1925, with the railways opting for the only modern traction system that was available then, which was the 1,500 DC traction system. After Independence, Indian Railways rolled out modern (and faster) traction systems elsewhere in the country, but Mumbai was surprisingly bypassed.
While Mumbai's suburban corridors carry the maximum number of passengers - about 6.5 million commuters every day at present - Indian Railways did not push for its upgradation to 25 kv AC traction for several decades. It was only in the mid-1990s that the work of conversion began, initially on Western Railway.
AC systems have enormous advantages, including faster movement of trains, energy savings, the capability of the system to handle more coaches, more reliability of services and greater safety.
The work of conversion from DC to AC on Mumbai's suburban corridors has moved at a snail's pace over the past 20 years. Finally the last conversion of traction system, not just in Mumbai, but even in India - between Mumbai CST and Panvel - is now being executed, hopefully ensuring better days for the millions of commuters in the metropolis.
Central Railway has decided to preserve the last nine-car DC coach at the railway museum here.
nithin@khaleejtimes.com