Ravindra Gupta, member of the Railway Board, confirmed that 9 AC locals would be introduced by March 2019.
There's good news for Mumbaikars! Nine more AC locals are set to be operational by March 2019, thereby providing respite for train travellers in sweltering conditions. The first AC local came into existence in December 2017. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, it surpassed the 10 lakh passenger mark within 5 months of its initiation.
The first of the AC local is expected to reach the city by November. Consequently, every month there will be two locals that will be bought to Mumbai.
Approximately over 3 lakh people chose to ride in AC local in a single month. The present AC local has a seating capacity of 1,028 people while the load capacity for passengers is 5,964. The train operates on the Western line and runs between Churchgate and Virar.
The cost of a single journey from Churchgate to Virar is Rs. 205 while the monthly pass costs Rs.2040. According to Western Railways (WR), there would be no fare hike till December 24.
Ravindra Bhakar, chief public relations officer of WR, said: "After getting the second AC rake, we will definitely increase the frequency of the train.” The second AC local is expected to run on the Western line.