Mumbai: The Central Railway plans to add more AC local trains to its daily routes in Mumbai ensuring smoother travel to daily commuters. The decision was taken to provide seamless travel experience.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared this information with Parliament on wednesday, announcing that the government has given the green light for the procurement of 238 new AC local trains.
"I was in Maharashtra, and during my discussions with Devendra Fadnavis regarding the improvement of Mumbai local trains, this topic came up. We are glad to announce that the procurement of 238 new local trains for Mumbai has been finally approved," Vaishnaw stated.
The plan to convert all the usual Mumbai local train compartments into AC local trains has been halted, according to reports. This opposition came from the NCP in August 2022, after party leader Sharad Pawar called for the withdrawal of the AC local trains and the restoration of regular services for working-class commuters.
Addition To Current Count Of Mumbai AC Locals
According to the data, as of today, there are a total of 109 AC local trains operating on the Western and Central lines of Mumbai. On weekdays, and on the weekends these AC local trains provide 65 services. This count includes the addition of 13 new AC services to the suburban routes of Mumbai, which has contributed to enhancing the overall service.
The Mumbai AC local train began service on December 25, 2017, as part of the Western Railway network. In the first five months, there were five Lakh passengers recorded using the AC local train in city. Considering the summer season, the count exceeded three lakh passengers each month. Mumbaikars prefer to take the AC local train during the summer to avoid the heat.
