Railway Board has confirmed that Mumbai's first air-conditioned local train service would be available for the public from September this year and would run both on Western Central Railway sections
Western Railway (WR) authorities are hoping to start the air-conditioned electrical multiple unit (EMU) rake from this Diwali. File Pic
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Here's some good news for those who have been waiting to take a ride in Mumbai's first air-conditioned local train. The Railway Board has confirmed that the service would be available for public from September this year.
Not just this, it has also ensured that the train would run both on the Western and Central Railway sections.
Nine more to come
Speaking to mid-day, Chairman of Railway Board, AK Mittal, said, "We will procure nine more electrical multiple unit (EMU) AC rakes for Mumbai and will ensure that they operate both on the WR and CR lines."
The WR authorities are currently conducting trials of the train on the Churchgate-Borivali stretch.
Officials are of the opinion that the operational issues related to it have been more or less ironed out. The main concern was the height of two bridges, one at Mahalaxmi and the other at Matunga. But the Railway Board authorities said that even this problem has been addressed. Gradually, they plan to procure nine additional AC rakes.
Operational concerns
"We will take into consideration the height of the bridges when designs for the new AC rakes are prepared," said Ravindra Gupta, Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board.
Meanwhile, officials said that the fare for the AC local has not been decided yet, but it could be on the lines of Delhi Metro or 1.5 times more than the price of first class tickets. On the other hand, the railway authorities in Delhi stated that it was not possible to have automatic doors in non-AC local trains. "It will become extremely suffocating if such doors are installed," said a Railway Board official.
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