For commuters on the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu suburban line, there is something to cheer about. Southern Railway has introduced a three-phase Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU). The 12-car rake, which will be operated six times between Chennai Beach and Chengalpattu and three times between Chennai Beach and Tambaram, began its “run” on February 20. Among features of this EMU that are likely to appeal to passengers are: Ergonomically-designed seats, an increase in “standing passengers” capacity from 3768 to 4852, a modular roof-mounted ventilation system in addition to the regular fans, CCTV cameras in all the compartments for women, LED lights, LED indication when a chain is pulled, and a tweaked passenger information system. “The new ventilation system lets in 16,000 cubic metres of fresh air, every hour — a feature that is likely to be appreciated when the train is packed. When a chain is pulled in a coach, a LED light will glow in the operator’s cabin. As the coach will be indicated, prompt intervention is possible. In an obvious advantage over single-phase EMUs with two station-display units, this one features four display units,” says a Southern Railway official. Other advantages include increase in maximun speed from 96km per hour to 105km per hour, which will reduce travel time. There is a plan to introduce one five more 12-car rakes on this line, one expected in the first week of March, and the other four by the end of May. Plans are on to operate all the six rakes with 9 services each, however, that depends on the traffic in the track signalling system. Tech-aways *The three-phase EMU puts out 5744hp, as against 3584hp by a single-phase train *Sensors installed in the cabin facilitate computer-monitored speed control and braking *An event recorder, along the lines of a black box in planes, has been incorporated *Due to its three-phase drive technology, this train saves on maintenance costs *During braking, 30% power will be regenerated

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