As per the Railway officials, after a long wait of 4 years, Mumbai’s Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) are finally getting new local trains!
While on one hand, WR is all set to receive a modern air-conditioned (AC) local train in order to expand its services, on the flipside, CR is set to get the regular non-AC train, primarily to replace older Harbour Line trains.
Central Railway:
As per a CR official, “We’ve received a non-AC train to replace an older one on the Harbour Line. It won’t add new services but will ensure smoother operations.”
Western Railway:
Meanwhile, an AC local train has been sent to WR from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. However, WR officials are still deciding how it will be used. “The details for service upgrades with the new AC rakes are being finalised,” an official said.
In the light of rising commuter demand, the Western Railway had requested more AC trains. As a result of which, 8 new 12-car AC trains are being allocated across financial years 2023–2025. 4 of them shall be received by WR on priority, with Eastern and Southern Railways getting one each. Currently, WR operates 96 AC services using seven AC trains.
On the flipside, CR isn’t getting any new AC, which can be partially attributed to the resistance from commuters. Since August 2022, AC trains on CR have sparked political debates, with NCP president Sharad Pawar advocating for their removal to prioritise affordable non-AC services for working-class passengers.
Summary
After a 4-year wait, Mumbai’s Central and Western Railways are getting new local trains. Western Railway will receive a modern air-conditioned (AC) train to expand services, while Central Railway will get a non-AC train to replace older Harbour Line trains. Despite rising demand, CR won’t receive any new AC trains due to commuter resistance, while WR will get 8 new AC trains by 2025.
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