Rajendra B. Aklekar
@rajtoday • 101,115 subscribers
Journalist @mid_day Author of multiple books on India's rail history & heritage. Trains, trams & buses. Biographer of Dr. E. Sreedharan. Museology @csmvsmumbai
Shorts
Videos
Maharashtra transport minister poses as customer, catches Rapido bike operating illegally in #Mumbai
Rajendra B. Aklekar2,210,226 views • 11 months ago
Non-AC door closing EMU local train that arrived at Kurla carshed in Mumbai. Here are the key differences: *The coach is built on an AC EMU shell, but maintaining the various classes of first class (with cushion seats), ladies, the disabled one and others. Hence though vestibular, it has physical partitions to segregate these coaches. *The windows are wider 1,900m with sliding glass panels like buses as compared to 900m windows in existing trains. *The blowers are powerful forcing 10,000 cubic m/hr air into the coach, with two such units in every coach which means 20,000 cubic m/hr air in each coach. *The leg space between the two seats has been increased for a comfortable seating and wider gangway. *The luggage compartment at either end of the train is two times larger than the existing ones. *The doors have been shut and along with glass panels on the top, to improve air circulation, these coaches feature louvered doors (slatted) that allow air movement while keeping doors closed for safety.
Rajendra B. Aklekar192,179 views • 1 month ago
Malad station incident CCTV footage. A 31-year-old Mathematics professor was stabbed to death following a minor altercation that escalated inside a Mumbai local train as it approached Malad railway station. The dispute reportedly began over alighting from the crowded coach, after which the attacker pulled out a sharp weapon and stabbed the victim in the abdomen. The victim collapsed at the station and later succumbed to his injuries despite medical assistance. The footage shows the accused running away. The accused has now been arrested within 24 hours of the incident. #Mumbai #MumbaiRailway
Rajendra B. Aklekar205,090 views • 4 months ago
This 2.11 minute video shows the real and grave problem affecting CR Mumbai suburban railway. This is Diva Junction station, this afternoon. The level crossing gate here blocks all six lines that means local and NATIONAL lines. This leads to detention of ALL trains on either side of the gate and MASSIVE commuter crowds piling up at all subsequent stations. The road vehicles clearly need to be on a road bridge & not blocking the crucial Mumbai railway like this. And guess what, the road bridge has been built, but the problem are the approaches. Yes. The bridge portion over the railway line is ready, but there is no land for approaches because there are structures, buildings and residents. Residents don't want to move and local landowners have alleged injustice. Was it all not thought before or planned? The Thane Municipal Corporation is now working on this to clear up the mess. Nevertheless, bureaucrats of any standard here have little say in the area since it is a political hotbed of every party. Every decision taken here is a race on political lines. The local public representatives are towering personalities but blinkered by narrow vision. The management at the gate too is poor. This afternoon, the MSF (Maharashtra Security Force) staff had been manning it and when it became unmanageable, RPF (Railway Protection Force) & GRP (Government Railway Police) had to be called (by station announcement) followed by the station staff at the site. The first thing that was done by them was taking pictures probably to prove their presence to the higher ups. The response was not quick but almost idle. It needed to be faster given the stakes (If they understood them.) But its all a mess that needs to be sorted at a different level not with the local cops. They have other priorities. The sad part is that all of this is affecting lakhs of commuters every single day. After the level crossing closed in about 20+ minutes, the first trains that came from both directions were massively crowded with commuters hanging out even in the afternoon non-peak hours. I managed to get in the first train. As it moved ahead to subsequent stations, the crowds got larger & aggressive as they had been waiting for a lonng time. Sadly, they are used to it and manage the lethal commute deftly. Those who can't end up becoming a statistic.
Rajendra B. Aklekar136,995 views • 4 months ago
Train services suspended without notice and this happens in Mumbai, leaving commuters in blazing sun, searching for alternative transport modes. Who is responsible Ashwini Vaishnaw? What kind of people have you appointed to lead Central Railway Mumbai? Work block taken without notice. The Mumbai division is going to the dogs, not a day goes without an incident Ministry of Railways GM Central Railway
Rajendra B. Aklekar30,908 views • 26 days ago
All in readiness. Some excellent videos & pics by Satej Sharad Shinde of Mumbai Metro-- Pink Line 6 girders over the Western Railway main lines last night. The corridor passes between Jogeshwari and Ram Mandir stations. Mumbai Metro Pink Line 6 is 15.31 Km in length & running from Swami Samarth Nagar (Lokhandwala) to Vikhroli (EEH) passing through Jogeshwari, WEH, Powai.
Rajendra B. Aklekar42,411 views • 1 month ago
End of an era! The last public service of non-AC double decker coaches of the iconic Flying Ranee Express train entering Mumbai Central station this morning. From this evening of 16 July 2023, the train has been upgraded with LHB-class upgraded version of coaches, but sadly will not be a double decker. Could not miss the historic last run of the double decker coaches for anything. They were introduced on the train on 18 December 1979, exactly 43 years six months 29 days. The only double decker train to remain now is the Valsad Fast Passenger, operated by Western Railway.
Rajendra B. Aklekar659,091 views • 2 years ago
Non-AC door closure EMU local train arrives on CR Mumbai. Video by Prathamesh Dutta.
Rajendra B. Aklekar34,987 views • 1 month ago
This is India's DFC, Dedicated Freight corridor with the ultimate dream of separating freight from passenger traffic! The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) is being built between JNPT in Maharashtra to Dadri in UP, designed for high-speed, high-capacity (double decker) freight trains to boost India's logistics. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) successfully conducted a rail car inspection from Vaitarna to JNPT Port, the final point of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) recently, covering a distance of approximately 102 kms. This historic inspection marks the first-ever movement on the newly constructed DFCCIL track of the JNPT–Vaitarna Section, a critical segment of the WDFC.
Rajendra B. Aklekar87,008 views • 5 months ago
