Earlier, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had announced that 70 local trains will be fitted with AC coaches
Mumbaikars may soon be travelling in semi air-conditioned local trains on Western and Central lines.
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, the railway agency that manufactures and procures trains, has called for a tender to acquire 78 partially air-conditioned trains for the city, reported The Hindustan Times. These trains will be distributed equally between Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR).
"The ICF has called for tenders. The procurement will begin by next year. Replacing the coaches [AC with non-AC ones] will take three years," a senior CR official told the paper.
The railway board had earlier issued tenders to procure 39 new 12-coach AC trains for the city. The board, however, changed their stance to acquire semi-AC trains to make travel affordable.
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The ICF will also have to check if partially AC trains can run on Central and Western Railway.
The city will also receive three additional AC trains for WR as soon as the railway ministry receives a positive response to the only AC rake being run on the Western line.
The number of riders in the first AC local train crossed 10 lakh within five months of service. In February, 2.28 lakh passengers travelled on the train, the number increased to 3.13 lakh in March and 3.54 lakh in April.
"The three AC trains should be procured soon," Ravindra Gupta, member, rolling stock, railway board, told the paper.
One of these three trains will arrive in September, while the rest will be procured by December 2019, the report said.Western Railway is also mulling to halt the existing AC train at Grant Road, Charni Road and Marine Lines railway station, in addition to its regular stops.