Mumbai railways to procure only air-conditioned local trains from now

The current AC local trains will see a reduction in fares for single journeys. Pic/Ashish Raje

In a historic move, the Mumbai railways will now get only fully air-conditioned local trains with fare structures on the lines of the Mumbai Metro standards. The design of the trains, to be made by private players, will be changed to match international Metro trains. The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting and sources said the entire process, which began on Tuesday night, would take nearly a decade.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday evening conducted a two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with divisional railway officials and the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to discuss various aspects of the issue and took a few key decisions.

Shailesh Goyal, Western Railway Zonal Users' Consultative Committee

Three key decisions

Officials said the first important thing is that the current AC local's single journey ticket fare will be brought at par with the fares proposed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) or Delhi Metro. The season tickets, that is monthly and other passes, however, will see no change in prices.
The second key decision is that no new non-AC train will be procured for Mumbai suburban railway. All trains will be full AC - a step that will upgrade the suburban railway. The third is that, as per Vaishnaw's directions, all trains will be designed as per international Metro standards and will be manufactured by private players.

Travel transformation

The decision could transform the way Mumbaikars travel. The fares proposed for Mumbai Metro are as low as R10 for the first 3-km journey as compared to the present minimum fare of R65 for the AC local train.

This is the first time that the Indian Railways at the Centre has given in-principal approval for lowering AC fares. As per discussions, the MRVC will procure 238 fully AC trains under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3 and 3A. Once the tender process starts the first new train is expected to be manufactured within three years from that.

The new AC trains will be made as per the design of international Metro trains. Pic/Ashish Raje

Will cut casualties

Shailesh Goyal of the Western Railway Zonal Users' Consultative Committee welcomed the decision and said it would bring in a sea change in Mumbai's commuting patterns. "It will be a cool ride for future generations. It will reduce casualties from people falling off trains. I congratulate the railway minister for taking the important decision," he said.

Subhash Gupta, president of Rail Yatri Parishad, said it would immensely help the public. "We welcome the decision. It will help the common Mumbaikar, and if it succeeds, the trains will give the Metro a challenge," he said.

The trigger

Though all local railway officials in Mumbai refused to speak on record and even denied such meeting had happened, the actual trigger was passenger safety and to stop passengers from falling off crowded local trains for which closing doors and hence AC is compulsory.

Competition to Metro?

If fares of AC Mumbai local trains are brought down to Metro levels, the new Metro trains will face tough competition, given the sheer capacity of local trains due to bigger size and reach. However, limited track capacity and technical limitations may not make it as good as the Mumbai Metro trains.

What about partial AC train?

Partial AC trains could be technically possible, but were avoided as it may lead to major issues at a later stage due to compatibility of both sections - AC and non-AC. Even if one door does not shut on time, it will detain the entire train.

When will the new locals be procured?

The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation will float global tenders and the rough idea is to start getting trains in the city by 2024.

What about existing trains?

The existing trains will continue and, as their life ends, be despatched to other zonal railways or phased out. The number of AC trains listed for procurement satisfies the quantity required by both CR and WR at present and keeping future requirements in mind.

238
No. of new fully AC trains the Rlys will procure

Rs 10
Proposed fare for the first 3 km in an AC local

Rs 65
Current fare for the first 3 km in AC local