Central Railway Upgrades 22 Services to 15-Car Trains on CSMT-Khopoli Route
Central Railway upgraded 22 suburban train services on the CSMT-Khopoli corridor from 12-car to 15-car rakes on August 15, expanding carrying capacity by 25 percent per upgraded train and introducing adjusted routes terminating and originating at Dadar.
The addition takes the total number of 15-car services operating on the main line from 32 to 54. The expanded coaches are aimed at benefiting passengers traveling between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and stations including Ambarnath, Badlapur, Karjat, and Khopoli. Despite the upgrade, the total volume of daily suburban services remains at 1,820.
Several train schedules and originating points were revised to accommodate the longer rakes. The Khopoli-Parel service now operates as the Khopoli-Dadar local, leaving Khopoli at 4:50 am. The Parel-Khopoli service has shifted to become the Dadar-Khopoli local, departing Dadar at 7:43 am. Additionally, the CSMT-Ambarnath service now originates from Dadar at 11:23 pm and reaches Ambarnath at 12:30 am. Both the CSMT-Khopoli and CSMT-Ambarnath services were also converted from slow to fast operations.
Four of the 22 upgraded services run during peak commuting hours, including two in the morning and two in the evening. The morning peak services include an Ambarnath-CSMT local departing Ambarnath at 8:27 am and a Khopoli-Karjat local leaving Khopoli at 10:00 am. During the evening peak window, the CSMT-Ambarnath local departing CSMT at 7:42 pm and the CSMT-Karjat local leaving at 7:50 pm now run as 15-car rakes.
A Central Railway official stated that the administration also intends to run 14-car services on the CSMT-Kasara North-East line in the near future. The official noted that the total number of suburban services remains unchanged at 1,820 despite the conversions.
The 15-car services will remain cancelled on Saturdays so that Central Railway can conduct regular maintenance work on the rakes.
Central Railway first introduced 15-car suburban operations in 2012 with 16 services, followed by six additional services in 2019 to reach 22. Another 10 services were upgraded in July 2026 to reach 32, before this latest addition brought the total to 54.
