Regular commuters, even those with a first-class passes, will not be allowed to board the AC train, the fare of which is 1.3 times that of the first-class fare
The real test for the train will begin from Friday when it enters the public service during peak hours
Central Railway's (CR) first air-conditioned train was flagged off on Thursday. However, the event started on a bitter note.
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First, the event got delayed by about 40 minutes as Suresh Angadi, the state railway minister, arrived late, and later Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar stormed off after finding her name missing from the inauguration board. This resulted in Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant lambasting railway officials.
"We MPs strive hard to get such public services with regular follow-ups with railway officials and we feel insulted when due credit is not given. It is an insult to Parliamentarians," he said.
The inaugural run was piloted by motorwoman Manisha Mhaske
Angadi also apologised later for the oversight and assured punctuality in the future.
When mid-day spoke to a few commuters, we got mixed reviews about the new entrant. "Has CR thought about how much rush the regular locals before and after the AC locals will attract from Friday? For example, from Vashi, after 8.32 am, the next train is at 8.45 am, then 9 am. But after the introduction of AC local at 8.45 am from Friday, there
will be a huge gap of 28 minutes for a majority of commuters after the 8.32 am Thane local," Mandar Modak, a daily commuter pointed out.
On the contrary, a few commuters onboard expressed their happiness. "An AC train on the Trans-Harbour section will be a plus for those working in Airoli, Rabale and Ghansoli. But the fare is a bit high. A single journey from Thane to Panvel will cost R185. Had it been around R160 to R165, it would have been a little more feasible," another commuter Rupak Lele said.
Meanwhile, the real test for the train will begin from today when it enters service during peak hours.
Regular commuters, even those with a first-class pass, will not be allowed to board the AC train, whose fare is 1.3 times that of the first-class fare.
The railways have not provided the option of upgrading to an AC train ticket, which means commuters will have to buy tickets in advance.
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