The Western Railway will operate 17 new air-conditioned (AC) local train services in Mumbai from November 6 onwards. With the introduction of the new services, the total number of AC local train services will increase to 96 from the present 79, the official said.According to a statement issued by the Western Railway, the train operated between Dahanu Road and Andheri stations will be extended up to Churchgate station to meet the growing demand of commuters.
Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of WR, said a decision to increase AC local services was taken due to the significant rise in the number of passengers opting for AC trains. To improve passenger convenience and reduce overcrowding, these 17 additional services will operate as AC services on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and as non-AC services on weekends (Saturday and Sunday).However, despite the introduction of these AC services, the total number of services will remain the same at 1,394. Additionally, a train route that currently runs between Dahanu Road and Andheri stations will be extended to Churchgate, resulting in schedule adjustments for some suburban services, Thakur said.
Out of the 17 new services, nine will run in the UP direction, and eight will operate in the DOWN direction. In the UP direction, there will be one service each between Nalasopara and Churchgate, Virar and Borivali, and Bhayandar and Borivali. There will also be two services between Virar and Churchgate and four services between Borivali and Churchgate. In the DOWN direction, there is one service each between Churchgate and Bhayandar, Borivali and Virar, as well as three services each between Churchgate and Virar and Churchgate and Borivali.