Thousands of daily commuters were left sweating through their journeys as the Western Railway canceled 12 air-conditioned (AC) local train services on Thursday, replacing them with non-AC rakes. The move sparked outrage, especially as similar disruptions occurred on Wednesday, marking the third time this summer that AC locals have left passengers disappointed. Western Railway operates a fleet of eight AC locals, seven of which are in regular service. Each train typically runs 15 to 17 trips a day, amounting to around 109 AC services daily. But a breakdown in one AC train on Wednesday forced officials to deploy non-AC alternatives between Churchgate and suburbs like Borivali, Bhayandar, and Virar, just when the city is reeling under peak summer temperatures. The situation is set to worsen before it improves. On Friday, April 25, 13 AC local services on the Churchgate–Borivali stretch will also run as non-AC trains, affecting thousands more.
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Frustrated passengers criticize the railways’ repeated lapses. Many pointed out that the AC rake in question has now malfunctioned three times in the past month. They also questioned the quality of maintenance being carried out by Western Railway. To add to the chaos, a glaring communication failure occurred at Virar station on Wednesday morning. At 8:33 AM, as a non-AC train pulled in on Platform 1, the public announcement system incorrectly declared it as an arriving AC service, further frustrating commuters.
This isn’t the first time the AC local network has faced such issues. Similar breakdowns were reported on March 27 and 28, and again on April 9, 23, and 24. Commuters are now demanding immediate improvements in maintenance and better communication from the railway authorities.