Air-conditioned trains will now have operation theatre-like fresh air pumped into the coaches. This process will replace the circulated air which raises the possibilities of spread of infections.
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The experiment began with 15 pairs of AC trains being run by the national transporter on the Rajdhani routes since 12th May and will be replicated in all AC trains as part of railways’ preparations for post-coronavirus operations.
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Railway officials said, “The Roof Mounted AC Package Unit (RMPU) system of Indian Railways AC coaches replaces air more than 16-18 times per hour just like in OTs.”
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Earlier, these AC trains had the air changed 6 to 8 times per hour. Also, 80% of the air that was pushed into these coaches was recirculated air, while only 20% was fresh air.
Due to this new process, there has been a 10-15% increase in energy consumption.
“This is the price one has to pay for the safety of passengers. This is the new normal. The way an AC works is that it uses recirculated air so that it gets cooler faster. When we use fresh air it takes more time to cool, so there’s additional energy consumption,” an officer said.
Also, as rail passengers are not provided with linen anymore, the centralised AC’s temperature has been increased from the usual 23° to 25°.
