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One year of AC local trains; 38.68 lakh passengers benefitted by the service

Initially, the air-conditioned local trains were supposed to be introduced for Central Railways but due to the bridges at a low height, the trains were introduced instead for Western Railways

One year of AC local trains; 38.68 lakh passengers benefitted by the service
SHARES

Last year, Mumbai received the country’s first-ever air-conditioned local train which was run for the Western Railways passengers. With the services marking one successful year on December 25, Western Railways will look to extend the service and implement the necessary modifications to help AC local grow and attract more passengers.

Initially, the trains were not well received due to its fare structure, but gradually the people started opting for the new locomotive, and as per records, the service was used by around 38 lakh passengers throughout the year.

In the beginning, the plan to run an AC local train was chalked out for Central Railways but due to the low bridges between CSMT and Kurla, the service was never started. After which, the local train was successfully run for Western Railways passengers which brought a sense of relief for many.

Currently, the train has 12 rounds daily between Churchgate-Virar and two of them have been scheduled for passengers travelling at peak hours. From December 25, 2017, to November 30, 2018, 38.68 lakh passengers had travelled through the AC local train. Out of which, 35.74 lakh were pass-holders whereas 2.94 passengers had travelled by tickets.

Soon the rail network will receive extra 10-12 local trains which will benefit many more citizens. The construction of the local trains has been provided to Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) who will ensure that the number of AC local trains increases in the city.

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