More MEMU trains likely under Danapur division

PATNA: Railways intends to introduce more MEMU trains under Danapur division. The Patna-Gaya section of the division has MEMU trains only and all conventional rakes of passenger trains have been withdrawn, sources said.
Railways recently introduced MEMU train between Buxar and Fatuha (63261/63262) on the mainline section of Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) for the convenience of local commuters. The conventional rake of the local passenger train running on this route has been withdrawn.Railways took this decision to help commuters reach their places in time, said ECR CPRO Arvind Rajak.
According to Rajak, the conventional rake of the passenger train was running with the load combination of 18 coaches. The total seating capacity in the coaches of conventional rake was 1,200 while the same number of passengers could travel standing in the coaches. The MEMU train is running with the standard formation of load combination of 16 coaches but the seating capacity in its rake is about 1,250 while about 4,000 passengers can travel standing with the help of support handles, he said.
The CPRO said that the greatest advantage of MEMU is that it always runs in time and there is little scope of alarm chain pulling (ACP) by miscreants. Earlier, passengers could easily stop trains on Buxar-Patna-Fatuha route by resorting to ACP. As a result, mail and express trains running on the back report of passenger train, get delayed unnecessarily, he said.
The withdrawal of conventional rake on this route might have irked a section of passengers misusing ACP and a furious mob blocked train movement for sometime at Bihta on July 31. The mob also put slipper on railway tracks just in front of Garib Rath which was passing Bihta station. Luckily, the loco pilot of the train noticed it and stopped the train in time, the CPRO said.