Mangalore city will see the first of its three-phase Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains with the Southern Railway replacing the conventional rake of Train Nos 06478/06477 Mangalore Central-Kannur-Mangalore Central Unreserved Express Special on January 26. MEMU coaches have more carrying capacity than conventional coaches, the main advantage will be that the rake does not require loco reversal as the motor car coaches on both the ends can move the rake on either direction. While each motor car can accommodate 55 sitting and 171 standing passengers, each trailer car will accommodate 84 sitting and 271 standing passengers. Thus, a 12-coach three-phase MEMU can accommodate 3,603 passengers, 921 sitting and 2,682 standing, in all. A conventional MEMU on the other hand, can carry 2,634 passengers, in all. The steel body coaches with easy to slide, light-weight sliding doors and fibre reinforced polymer interior panels will also have CCTV surveillance system and LED lights. GPS-based passenger information system, public announcement system, bio-toilets in trailer cars are the other features. Cabins of the motormen and guard are air-conditioned. The three-phase MEMU rakes with insulated-gate bipolar transistor facilitates improved acceleration and braking performance even as the regenerative braking system can help save up to 35% of energy compared to conventional MEMUs. The electricity so generated will be fed back to the grid.

Train No 06477 is scheduled to leave Kannur at 7.40 a.m. to reach Mangalore Central at 10.55 a.m. In the return direction, Train No 06478 leaves Mangalore Central at 5.05 p.m. to reach Kannur at 8.40 p.m. The evening service is largely patronised by students and the regular travellers.