On August 15, Mumbai-Pune commuters to get freedom from coaches of Deccan Queen

This Independence Day, commuters of the Deccan Queen will get to travel in refurbished coaches of the Mumbai-Pune train. According to a notification issued by the railway ministry, Utkrisht aims to improve the condition of the coaches in long-distance trains.

One hundred and forty trains across India will be refurbished as part of the project. Under phase one, the CR will refurbish coaches of Deccan Queen and LTT-Madgaon double-decker express.

The central railway (CR), as part of its Utkrisht project, will renovate the interior and exterior of Deccan Queen. The renovation, which will cost ₹60 lakh, includes vinyl wrapping for coaches to give them a new look, replacement of torn seats, installation of fire extinguishers, dustbins and Braille signages. The cleanliness of the train will be inspected every two hours.

“The work will begin soon. Deccan Queen will be ready by August 15, while the work on Madgaon express will be completed by December. We will also introduce a biometric system to ensure the railway officials are working on board,” said SK Pankaj, senior deputy general manager, central railway.

Work on four other trains, including Nagpur Duronto, Mumbai-Amravati Express and Pragati Express, will be carried out in the second phase.

On the western railway, coaches of Mumbai Central-Vadodara express, Ahmedabad-Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Katra Express, Amritsar and Uttaranchal express will be refurbished.

The central railway will operate a mega block on Saturday night to dismantle a foot overbridge at Kurla railway station. On the harbour line, services will be shut between 11.30pm and 5.30am (Sunday morning).

On the slow line of the CR, services will be shut between 1.30am (Sunday morning) to 3.30am. Services on the up fast line will be suspended between 11.30pm and 5.30am (Sunday morning) and down fast line will be shut between 1.30am (Sunday morning) and 3.30am. No maintenance block will be operated on the central railway on Sunday