MUMBAI: Responding to rising commuter demand, Western Railway (WR) will introduce 13 additional air-conditioned (AC) local train services on its suburban network starting Wednesday, November 27.
With this expansion, the total number of AC services on weekdays will cross the 100 mark, increasing from 96 to 109. On weekends, the count will also rise, going from 52 to 65.
Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of WR, stated that the growing popularity of AC local trains has led to this initiative, aimed at reducing crowding and enhancing passenger comfort. The new services will replace 13 existing non-AC 12-car services, ensuring the total number of daily suburban services remains constant at 1,406.
The first of the newly added AC services will depart from Churchgate at 12:34 PM on November 27. Regular operations will follow as per the revised timetable.
Of the 13 new services, six will operate in the UP direction towards Churchgate, while seven will run in the DOWN direction from Churchgate. In the UP direction, two trains each will run between Virar-Churchgate and Bhayandar-Churchgate, with one service each connecting Virar-Bandra and Bhayandar-Andheri. In the DOWN direction, two services will run from Churchgate to Virar, and one each from Churchgate to Bhayandar, Andheri to Virar, Bandra to Bhayandar, Mahalaxmi to Borivali, and Borivali to Bhayandar.
Currently, around 1.24 lakh commuters—4% of WR’s daily ridership of 31 lakh—opt for AC local trains. These services contribute significantly to revenue, and the new additions are expected to boost earnings further.
Western Railway now has eight AC rakes in its fleet, with seven already in service. The total fleet consists of 111 rakes, including 74 non-AC 12-coach rakes, 14 non-AC 15-coach rakes, and 7 AC rakes.