A grand 22 commuters take the air-conditioned suburban trains on the Central Railway line on the first day as they begin life in lockdown
A TC with two commuters on Day 1 of Central Railway's AC local service on Thursday
It was a historic day of sorts for Central Railway on Thursday, with the first air-conditioned local train running on the main lines, but the response to it, which otherwise would have been impressive, remained woefully poor. Access was only for essential workers.
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Vinay Deshpande, an insurance sector employee, said he loved the ride
There were just 22 people who took the train the entire day. The poor commuter count was also due to the fact that one needs a special pass just for the AC local as it has its own fare structure.
Of those who took the AC locals, 20 bought daily tickets, while the remaining went for a monthly pass, helping the railways earn Rs 7,695. Since the railways considers each season pass equivalent to 100 trips, it may record a higher number of users for the entire 10 trips during the day. Four people were collectively fined Rs 1,825 for travelling without a ticket.
An AC local at CSMT on Thursday
CR officials said they have introduced ten AC services in place of ordinary suburban services, on an "experimental basis". The first AC local started from Kurla for CSMT as per schedule around 5.42 am, a CR official said.
Also read: Mumbai: Commuters Fume At Central Railway's AC Local Plan
"An AC local train on the main line was much required for a long time. I have loved this one and really have to thank the Central Railway. I will soon be taking a monthly pass," said P Deshpande, who took the first ride on the train.
Another commuter, Vinay Deshpande, was equally elated. "I have been travelling on Mumbai locals for the past 30 years and today for the first time, I experienced such a comfortable ride. Even though the ticket is more expensive than the regular local train, it is still cheaper than the road journey or any other mode of transport between Kalyan and Mumbai CSMT," he said.
The CR will run four services between CSMT and Kurla, two on CSMT-Kalyan route and four between CSMT and Dombivli (Thane) from Monday to Saturday, halting at all stations.
When mid-day handed over R65, the minimum fare, to the booking clerk at the Mulund East elevated counter, she consulted with a colleague and said that there was some problem with the ticketing software for AC locals. She asked this correspondent to walk down to the platform and check. By the time, one could figure out anything, the first train had left. A CR spokesperson said there was no problem with ticketing at all.
Long-distance passengers
The railway board on Thursday allowed passengers of long-distance trains to travel on locals as long as they have a valid confirmed ticket. They will be allowed to buy a non-return local train ticket and travel by local trains to the boarding point from anywhere in the city and the MMR six hours prior to the time of departure of the train on that particular day.
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