Commuters cool, captains suffocate

Wednesday, 2 July 2014 -

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  Ateeq Shaikh

• The train captain’s cabin is partitioned from the AC section

For the captains piloting colourful rakes of Mumbai Monorail, the job is not as rosy as one would imagine. The drivers have to sweat it out since their cabin is partitioned with glass from the passengers' air-condioned section with only three holes to let in the cool air.
The chilled air of the air-conditioning system is supposed to pass through these three small holes to provide relief to the captains. But this isn't sufficient for the drivers or captains since the air-conditioning keeps tripping.
Captains have to resort to using portable fans to prevent near-suffocation situations. Most of the time, train drivers are sweating profusely.
Malaysian firm Scomi, which supplies the rolling stock, and spare parts, has stated that no modifications can be made to the drivers' cabin or air-conditioning system. MMRDA officials were not available for comment.