Title - In 2013, local coaches will sport a brighter purple

The purple-white colour scheme of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation’s local railway rakes will not just remain unchanged, the purple colour will, in fact, be brightened further for the next lot of rakes that will roll out next year.

Between 2007 and 2011, the MRVC had procured 75 white-and-purple 12-car rakes under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perumbur. The MRVC had toyed with the idea of changing the colour after feedback that the rakes have become an eyesore with paan and gutkha stains on the exterior since these are difficult to erase or dilute even after an intensive wash at maintenance yards.

A senior MRVC official said, “After consulting the stakeholders, we decided against reverting to shades closest to the old, reddish brown-and-yellow rakes even though these camouflaged stains better.”

MRVC official said the purple-white colour is identified with new beginnings in the Mumbai suburban history and reverting to the old colour is not a good idea.

When told that these stains stand out prominently on the purple-white colour, he said, “The new rakes will be made of stainless steel and the difference will be marked when their exterior is cleaned.”

The railways use approximately 500 litres of water to wash a rake, and the average cost of cleaning one 12-car rake is Rs 25,000.

MRVC had awarded a fresh consultancy to the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, for a new colour scheme for the 72 rakes that are to be delivered next year.