Central Railway (CR) faced a wave of commuter outrage on Tuesday after it replaced 12 scheduled air-conditioned (AC) local train services with non-AC rakes, leaving hundreds of daily passengers many holding costly AC season passes crammed into regular compartments.
The substitution, which affected suburban services on Mumbai’s suburban Main line, triggered complaints from commuters who said they were denied the comfort and crowd-free experience they pay a premium for.
“What’s the point of buying an expensive AC pass if we’re repeatedly pushed into regular non AC local trains?” asked Rohit Jain, a daily commuter from Thane. “It has become a routine for Central Railway to cancel AC services or replace by non AC local services . There’s no refund or alternative, and we’re left to deal with overcrowded trains.”
Despite a brief notice issued by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Mumbai on social media platform X, many commuters said the announcement offered little explanation or redress.
Currently, CR operates 80 AC local trips on week days on the Main line. According to official data, AC ridership rose sharply from 2.09 crore passengers in 2023 to 2.84 crore in 2024, with an average daily ridership of 78,000 demonstrating the increasing reliance on these premium services.
Tuesday’s disruption has brought attention to the broader issue of service reliability. Passengers alleged that cancellations of AC local or replacement of AC local by non AC local are becoming increasingly frequent, raising questions about maintenance and scheduling.
Suhani Shah, a commuter from Dombivli, urged the railways to introduce a fare-adjustment system. “When an AC service is cancelled of replaced passengers should automatically get a refund for the fare difference between the AC and first-class travel,” she said. “It’s not just about comfort it’s about fairness and accountability.”
