MEMU

Mainline Electric Multiple Unit
A MEMU at Kollam
Overview
Owner Indian Railways
Locale India
Transit type Rapid Transit
Technical
Track gauge Indian gauge

The Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) is the Indian Railways designation of the commuter rail system in India for semi-urban and rural areas. The trains differ from the normal electric multiple units (EMU) that are designed for urban and semi-urban areas.

History

The first MEMU service in India was started in Bilaspur railway division of South Eastern Railway zone on 17th Oct 1995 on Raipur–Durg–Bhatapara–Raipur–Bilaspur route. The first 20 coach MEMU ran between Surat to Virar in 2017.

Operation

The system uses electrical multiple units[1][2] operating on 25 kV AC drawn from overhead lines. A MEMU train has 8 vestibule connected coaches. They are formed of 2 basic units, each of 1 motorcoach and three trailer coaches. The trailer coaches have two toilets for public use as the train can run up to 200 km in between two carshed periods. The rakes have a maximum permitted speed of 105 km/h on broad gauge tracks. It uses the DC traction motors. Recently ICF flagged off a LHB hybrid AC-AC MEMU rake based on the 1600 HP Medha DEMU architecture. These rakes use asynchronous traction motors and have a maximum designed speed of 110 km/h. These use a stainless steel body and modular toilets installed in them. Two of them have been handed over to South Central Railways.

First generation MEMU

IR is progressively going to replace locomotive-hauled passenger and intercity trains because they have faster acceleration and deceleration.

Advantage over locomotive hauled passenger trains

  • Fast acceleration
  • No need of separate locomotive
  • Easy to drive: Loco pilots trained to operate old and new sub-urban trains can actually operate them
  • Are more powerful compared to sub-urban EMU.
  • Uses less energy for the same number of coaches
  • Can be extended to 20 coaches on demand

Manufacturing

MEMU are manufactured at RCF, Kapurthala, and ICF, Chennai. Rakes are maintained in the Titlagarh coach maintenance shops. The newest ICF MEMU rakes are assembled at ICF after the factory has gone through a radical upgradation in manufacturing equipments.

An AC MEMU at ICF, ready for dispatch

References

  1. ↑ "SCR starts 2 Memu trains". Times of India. July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ Express News Service (December 9, 2011). "Corporation adamant on saving MEMU dream". CNN-IBM. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  • Express News Service (July 29, 2009). "Railway introduces passenger-friendly technology in MEMU trains". Indian Express.
  • List of all MEMU trains operated by Indian Railways
  • MEMU/DEMU Electric/Diesel Multiple Unit Shuttle Trains - Railway Enquiry
  • Indian Railways Fan Club Photo Gallery: MEMU
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