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Mumbai Local News: Railways Cut Train Time Gap To 2 Minutes; Services to Increase by 10%

Officials stated that the design might be included in MUTP phases 3 and 3A. These phases are already set to add 238 new AC rakes.

Mumbai Local News: Railways Cut Train Time Gap To 2 Minutes; Services to Increase by 10%
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The Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced the upcoming upgrades on Mumbai Local trains while outlining the Union Budget on Monday, February 3.

He announced that local trains will soon run at shorter intervals. In the first phase, the gap between trains will be reduced from 180 seconds to 150 seconds. Finally, the train services will have a gap of 120 seconds once the project is completed.

To match the reduced gap, the number of daily train services will increase by 10%. Currently, 3,000 trains run on the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) networks. The increase will help manage passenger load. 

The railways are also working to improve train comfort. Local trains will get better ventilation and air conditioning. The new system will be similar to the HVAC technology in Vande Bharat trains. These trains provide 99.99% bacteria-free oxygen. The government is also planning to change the bogie design for a smoother ride. There is no confirmed date for introducing the new bogies.

Officials stated that the design might be included in MUTP phases 3 and 3A. These phases are already set to add 238 new AC rakes. However, political issues have delayed the process. 

Capacity expansion is also underway at nine train terminals. The projects include new terminals, new tracks, and track extensions. A funding agreement has been made between Indian Railways, the Maharashtra government, and the RBI. The RBI will cover the state’s share of investment.

In a report by HT, Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of the Federation of Suburban Rail Passenger Associations, raised concerns. He said that existing railway projects should be completed before reducing headway. Many projects are moving slowly and need to be finished first.

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