Mumbai Suburban Trains Get Upgraded: Western Railway Adds New AC Rake; Details Inside

Western Railway (WR) is set to introduce a new air-conditioned (AC) rake to its suburban fleet by the first week of December, bringing the total number of AC trains in operation to eight, as reported by the Hindustan Times (HT). Built by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, the new rake will arrive in Mumbai on Wednesday. After completing the necessary trials, it will be deployed to add 10-12 AC services to the existing 96, said railway officials.

A WR official shared in HT, "The new AC local, which left Chennai, crossed Pune on Tuesday. It is expected to arrive in Mumbai on Wednesday, where we will conduct tests before making it operational."

The new rake will replace 10-12 non-AC locals on WR's suburban routes without affecting the current timetable. This will also reduce instances of technical failures in AC trains, which often lead to their replacement with non-AC locals at the last minute, the official added.

Currently, WR has seven AC rakes, serving a daily ridership of approximately 1,30,000 passengers on routes between Churchgate and Dahanu, as well as between Goregaon and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). There are a total of 1,406 daily local trains on these routes.

In response to commuter demand, WR had sought additional AC rakes from the railway board. As a result, four new AC rakes have been allocated to WR for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25. WR authorities have also requested an increase in the capacity of the AC rakes from 15 tonnes to 17 tonnes.

Under the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation had planned to procure 238 AC rakes to gradually replace all non-AC trains in Mumbai. However, the plan has been delayed due to concerns over its potential impact on passengers who cannot afford to travel by AC locals.