The Central Railway (CR) is reevaluating plans to add air-conditioned (AC) local trains on the Harbour line. The suggestion comes after railway officials reevaluated the possible demand on the Harbour corridor due to a significant increase in traffic for AC local trains on the Main line. The Harbour line's AC local train service was first introduced in 2021 but was discontinued in 2022 because of low occupancy. Following this, the AC rakes were moved to the Main line, where they have since been met with positive reception.
According to the proposed plan, the Harbour line will get 14 AC local services in total, seven in the up direction and seven in the down direction. These services will probably take the place of non-AC services that are now in use. During peak hours, they will offer two services to accommodate daily commuters and office workers. One of the suggested modifications is the conversion of the Panvel-CSMT non-AC local, which now leaves at 9:09 am, to an AC rake, which will arrive at CSMT at 10:30 am. Likewise, an AC rake will take the place of the non-AC train that now operates the 5:30 pm Vadala-Panvel route.
If accepted and put into effect, the change might represent a major improvement for commuters on the Harbour line, providing a more comfortable and effective substitute for current services.
Central Railway (CR) introduced 14 new air-conditioned local train services on its Mumbai main line on April 16 to celebrate the 172nd anniversary of the Indian Railways. This move greatly relieved commuters' summertime heat. The non-AC services were superseded by the new ones. This has increased the number of AC services on the CR's main line from 66 to 80.
In the past, some passengers were unhappy when traditional non-AC services were replaced with AC services, especially during morning and evening rush hours, because the fare for these trains is much higher. The new AC local trains will run Monday through Saturday.
Through its Main, Harbour, Trans-Harbour, and Belapur-Uran suburban lines, the CR transports more than 35 lakh people daily and runs 1,810 suburban services. If Central Railway runs AC local trains on the Harbour line, it will also provide relief from the heat during summers to its passengers.