CR: Thane-Kalyan AC train ridership has shot up seven times in 6 months

Thane: Amidst the protest against AC local train services by top NCP brass including Sharad Pawar, Central Railways (CR) claimed that the number of passengers have shot up to seven times in the last six months on the Thane, Kalyan and Dombivli stretch.
According to a press release, the CR authorities informed that the passengers from Thane, Dombivali and Kalyan travelling by AC locals has increased from a daily average of 5,939 passengers in February 2022 to that of 41,333 passengers in August 2022, traffic has increased almost seven times.
Presently, Central Railway runs a total of 1810 suburban services including 56 AC locals, the CR official informed. The top 3 stations of Central Railway in terms of AC local passengers from February to August are Thane-10.50 lakh; Dombivali-9.39 lakh and Kalyan-9.01 lakh.
“Central Railway has been at the forefront in its efforts to provide a safe and comfortable travel to its passengers and running of AC locals is one of them. The tremendous response to AC locals has given a boost to CR’s efforts in its motto of giving the best service to its passengers,” the press release stated.
Recently, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said that the CR authorities should withdraw the AC railways as regular commuters can't afford the fare of AC local trains. If the same is not withdrawn he shall meet the union railway minister in this regard. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad had also protested against AC local trains. In May, the CR had cut down the railway fare of AC locals by 50 percent.