- The
legroom between the seats is minimal as a result of which it is very difficult for the passenger at the window seat to alight at intermediate stations since he has to ask all other passengers to move their legs a bit here and a bit there to make way to get out. The regular custom of 2-3 passengers standing between opposite seats is now totally impossible. This problem was there in WR's Millenium Rake too. I expected MRVC to rectify it but unfortunately that has not happened! This issue is more prominent in first
class than second class.
- There
is no privacy for First class. Instead of the 4-5 feet high solid
partition which was standard in the earlier rakes, these rakes have
horizontal bars spaced a couple of inches apart. This will not be a
problem in gents coaches, but in ladies coaches, it could be a cause of
concern, because at night half of ladies FC becomes available for male
commuters.
- The
partition between seats & doorway is solid only upto seat level. This
will be a problem in rainy season, when the seated people will get wet due
to rain coming from the door. WR's millenium rake too has such a partition
& I am saying this from experience of millenium rake. There is need
for solid metal at least for one & half feet above seat height.
- Three
grab poles in the doorway deny easy alighting/boarding when the train is
crowded. I had guessed that this will happen the moment I saw the photos
of doorway. Again, an example of unwanted changes spoiling the design.
They should have stuck to the old design of having just one grab pole at
the center of door.
- The
luggage rack which MRVC designed in "state-of-the-art" design has sharp edges. The design is bad. Gap between two adjacent bars in the
rack is too high. Small items can easily fall off the racks.
- Quality
of newer rakes is worse than the initial batch. Paint has lost some of its
gloss, and the coat of paint appears thin. As usual, the coach sidewalls
are not smooth, instead they are wavy and uneven (in simpler terms, as smooth as the surface of the moon). The finishing of
driving cab is horrible. Welding signs are evident all over, and near the
cattle guard, the welding is extremely rudimentary. Paint has started
peeling off in rakes which are just 2 months old. The new rakes
start rusting within a month after manufacture, without a single drop of rain falling on them. The rakes
do not feel like they cost Rs 20 crores. Definitely some money is being
siphoned off by someone.
- Fit
and finish is horrible on the inside as well as outside.
- For a
tall person, even sitting is uncomfortable
- Overall quality of the rakes is very bad. There have been instances of grab pole in the door breaking into two pieces!
- There is no grab handle outside the door, which made boarding the trains extremely difficult.
- The flooring in some coaches of the initial rakes was smooth. There was a risk of slipping on the smooth metal.
Improvements in the design:MRVC collected feedback from the commuters. From that feedback the following changes were implemented in the rakes:- Providing
grab handles outside the doors.
- Removing
two extra vertical poles installed near the door.
- Replacing
the present smooth flooring with chequered non-slip flooring.
MRVC had promised that leg room in all coaches will be increased by 10 cm. But that promise has not been fulfilled.
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