View from the top

In the good old days, when life was much simpler, and Mumbai, which was Bombay then, people used to come from far and wide to have a look at the city. It was considered to be the most modern city and everyone from ‘outside’ used to look at things with wide eyes and mouth open. Amongst the many attractions, the double decker BEST buses, unique to the city, were high on the list of ‘Things to be done’.

And it was announced some three years ago that we will have double decker trains. With 128 seats, these new trains were expected to be introduced in Yuva and Shatabdi class and later, if proven good, to other trains too. It is being Developed by RCF engineers in tandem with Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO). It will only have seating arrangements and will be about one to one-and-a-half feet taller than conventional coaches and ten inches higher from the ground level.

This sounds good but not a path breaking or revolutionary concept. Most of Europe has double decker trains. Australia, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong. Infact there are some triple decker trains too. But these are not used for passenger travel but more for freight.  Maybe that’s a good idea too. Mamata Banerjee did good by mooting this idea of double decker trains now maybe these triple decker trains for freight is also a good idea. Infact there were double decker trains running between Mumbai and Pune two decades ago. But they were stopped and no reason was cited. Given the rising fuel prices, these multi layer trains are probably the best way to maximize the limited resources. Now, if only they can also guarantee safety and security on trains!