Central Railway converts 12 Mumbai local train services to air-conditioned coaches

Central Railway has converted 12 non-air-conditioned local train services into air-conditioned (AC) services across its Mumbai network, including routes serving Ghatkopar, Kalyan, Titwala, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The transit authority introduced the upgraded services to meet the rising demand for comfortable suburban travel.

The upgrade brings the total number of AC local train services on the Central Railway network to 120. This total includes 92 services operating on the Main Line and 28 services running on the Harbour Line.

To prevent disruption to the overall timetable, the new AC services replaced existing non-AC trains. This adjustment ensures that the total number of weekday suburban services across the Mumbai Division remains unchanged at 1,820.

Among the 12 upgraded services are three high-demand peak-hour trains. These include the 6:46 am Titwala–CSMT local, the 9:16 am Ghatkopar–CSMT local, and the 7:18 pm CSMT–Kalyan local. The remaining nine upgraded services are scheduled during late morning, afternoon, evening, and night hours to offer air-conditioned options outside of rush hours.

These upgraded AC services will run from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and public holidays, these specific train services will revert to operating as regular non-AC services.

The decision to expand AC services follows a sharp rise in passenger numbers. According to Central Railway data, AC services on the Harbour Line experienced a 64.97 percent increase in ridership after a service expansion in May, with passenger volume growing from 2.34 lakh to 3.86 lakh. Corresponding revenue also grew by 66.43 percent, rising from Rs 1.18 crore to Rs 1.96 crore.

Alongside the introduction of these upgraded services, Central Railway has intensified ticket-checking drives across both the Main and Harbour lines. The operations are aimed at curbing ticketless travel on the newly upgraded air-conditioned trains.