Mumbai Local Train News: Railway Ministry Delays AC Local Trains Amid Rising Demand

Mumbai is known for its local trains being popular with college students, blue-collar workers, entrepreneurs, and thousands of other citizens. Mumbai locals run on three lines - the Harbour Line, the Western Line and Central Line. They are operated by the Central Railway.

The Harbour Line

Harbour Line runs along the eastern neighbourhoods of Mumbai that lie close to its natural harbour. This is why this branch of the Mumbai Suburban Railway has been named so. There are a total of 35 stations on this line. Its service usually begins at 04:00 AM and continues till 01:00 AM.

There are three termini of the Harbour Line. These include the CSMT, Panvel and Goregaon. Harbour Line Mumbai runs on the Panvel-Goregaon, CSMT-Goregaon, and CSMT-Panvel routes.

The Harbour Line is a double line that runs parallel to the Central Railway for a few stations starting at CSMT. From Wadala Road Station, the harbour line caters to two corridors. Ravli is the exact point where the line splits. The first line ends at the Goregaon Station and meets the Western Line at Mahim. The second line splits into two as it reaches Navi Mumbai. One of these lines goes to Thane and the other to Panvel.

The Western Line

Western line Mumbai is one of the most important railway lines in India. It connects the bustling city of Mumbai with its suburbs and other cities in Maharashtra. It runs from Churchgate to Dahanu Road and starts at 04:15 AM. It has 39 stations along its route, including some of the city's most iconic landmarks.

Generally fast trains o­n Western Railways halt at these stations; Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri and Borivali in both directions. From 5:24 PM to 8:21 PM in the up direction the fast trains do not halt between Mumbai Central and Churchgate also, while in the down direction, certain fast trains do not halt between Churchgate and Mumbai Central from 07:30 AM to 10:57 AM.

The Central Line

As the name suggests, the Mumbai Central Line runs down the centre of the city and its suburbs. The main route on this line is a Y-shaped line starting from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and bifurcating at Kalyan to terminate at Kasara and Khopoli. From Diva, train lines extend in both directions to Vasai Road and Panvel. Further south, a line also runs outwards from Thane towards Uran City.

There are a total of 62 stations on this line. Trains running on this route start at 04:00 AM and a train starts from the terminal stations every few minutes. Trains also start from other major stations along the Central Line Mumbai, like Dadar and Kalyan.

There are 2 types of trains, slow and fast trains. This is not a reference to the train's speed but rather the stations it stops at. A slow train stops at all stations on a route, while a fast train will halt only at the major stations. A fast train from CSMT to Kalyan makes the journey in about 1 hour and 12 minutes, while a slow train covers the same distance in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Demand For AC Local Trains

Mumbai is struggling under oppressive heat and desperately needs more AC local trains. However, the railway ministry is delaying the supply of these crucial services, as revealed by senior railway officials to the Hindustan Times (HT), a news daily. The rail authorities have requested 12 new AC local trains, but none are currently under production at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

During a monsoon review meeting on June 28, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw queried the Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) general managers and officials about the demand for AC locals in Mumbai. He also inquired whether the reduction in single-journey ticket fares had increased ridership.

Officials informed the minister about the significant demand for AC local trains, especially following the May 2022 reduction in single-journey fares for AC locals and first-class compartments by Rs 30 and Rs 25 respectively for the first five kilometres.

"We informed him about the need for more AC local trains, as the demand for these has been exceptionally good," said a WR official. "We do not know the reason behind the delay in manufacturing and supplying new AC local trains. We were expecting one by March-April this year, which has not happened yet."

The Present Situation

Recent figures show that the daily ridership in AC locals for 2024-25 is around 1,27,388 commuters per day from 96 services on the Churchgate-Virar route. WR operates 96 services from its seven AC rakes, while CR operates 66 services from six AC rakes.

Authorities attribute the increase in ridership to improvements made in the AC trains. Sources indicated that the railways had enhanced cooling and prevented water leakage during monsoons as part of their 'reliability action plan'. The roof-mounted AC units on WR have been blow-dried with hot air guns, rust has been removed, and cables replaced as needed. The size of the drain pipe has been increased from 20 millimetres to 40 millimetres. Issues with the automatic door closure system have been addressed by installing an L stopper plate at the bottom of the door, tightening the main roller bolts, and creating a 25-millimetre gap between the inner and outer footboard plates to resolve the issue of sluggish door movement.

"We have also managed to reduce the incidents of failure inside AC locals after identifying flaws and issues," said an official. "For future AC locals, we have demanded that the capacity of AC units be increased to two units of 17 tonnes each, up from the current 15 tonnes."

Challenges And Criticisms

The delay coincides with the indefinite shelving of plans to procure 238 AC local trains under Phases 3 and 3A of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) by the railway ministry. The original plan aimed to gradually replace all non-AC trains in the city. However, opposition leaders highlighted that this could inconvenience numerous commuters unable to afford AC locals, leading to the plan being put on hold.

Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, criticised the railways for their lack of sustained effort in new ventures. "This is the issue with AC locals as well," he said. "Now that there is a continuously rising demand from passengers, the railways should be proactive in adding a substantial number to its fleet."