One of the most-anticipated moment in Mumbai's commuting scenario took place at the Chennai's Integral Coach Factory yard at around 5:30 pm on Thursday. ICF authorities flagged off Mumbai's first air-conditioned local train on its journey towards Mumbai.

ICF general manager AK Agarwal confirmed the development in a text reply to dna. The rake is expected to arrive in Mumbai in a week's time.

"Local trains are of a dimension wider than long-distance trains and pulling them by a locomotive through hinterland stations all the way to Mumbai takes time. It will have to go through trials for anything between 2-3 months before it is commissioned for public service," said a railway official.

The rake is built at ICF with its electrical systems as well as train control and management systems provided by a joint venture of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Netherlands-based Strukton.