70 local trains to be fitted with 3 AC coaches each: Piyush Goyal

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday while inaugurating the extended Harbour line from Andheri to Goregaon announced that 70 local trains would be retrofitted with three AC coaches each. These coaches will be segregated into ladies and general compartments and will run on both Central and Western Railways.

The newly inaugurated extension of the Harbour line till Goregaon will start plying from April 1. The authorities will operate 49 services between Goregaon-CSMT/Churchgate. However, those who want to go to Navi Mumbai won't get a local from Goregaon anytime soon. Senior railway officials said that they would run trains towards Vashi/Panvel in the second phase. "It is likely that we will begin operations of Goregaon-Vashi/Panvel post-monsoon," said a rail official.

There are 18 services plying on the Andheri-Panvel route from end to end currently. In the initial stage, the Central Railway will extend 42 services on the Goregaon-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus route and seven services on the Goregaon-Churchgate route on the Western line.

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation extended this 5.12kms at a cost of Rs 214 crore. Almost a decade ago, the same project was pegged at Rs 103 crore under MUTP-2. This line is expected to benefit 13,000 commuters who board local trains from the stations between Jogeshwari and Kandivali.

While both the Union Railway Minister and Chief Minsiter Devendra Fadnavis were to inaugurate the line, Goyal reached the event only at 9.10 pm while the chief minsiter gave it a miss.

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• There are 18 services plying on the Andheri-Panvel route from end to end currently.
   
• In the initial stage, the Central Railway will extend 42 services on the Goregaon-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus route and seven services on the Goregaon-Churchgate route on the Western line.