Western Railways, which operates the Mumbai local train services, to ease passengers' journey has prepared to allow people with non-AC first- or second-class tickets or seasonal passes to travel in the AC trains and pay the difference during the train journey. Reports state that the Western Railways arrived at this decision as these trains have not been able to attract as many passengers as they expected.
While speaking to Indian Express, General Manager Western Railways, Alok Kansal, revealed that this decision was taken to make sure that passengers can take advantage of the experience of traveling in an AC train. Kansal also said that this experiment will be brought to fruition in a month and detailed information about it will be provided soon.
Reports further state that the Railway Board and the Union Railway Ministry are also deciding to justify the ticket fare structure if AC local trains. Notably, as of now, a ticket in an AC train, that runs between Churchgate and Virar stations of Mumbai, costs between Rs 65 and Rs 220.
Speaking further about the new development, Kansal said that Western Railways is also planning to expand on the number of trips of the AC trains in one day.
It is important to know that the Western Railway has four air-conditioned rakes. Out of this, only two trains are in operation as of now. The Mumbai Local Train makes 12 rounds in a day.
Welcoming the decision of the Western Railways, Rajesh Ghanghav of the passengers’ association said that the decision to allow passengers to travel in AC trains, by paying for the difference, will bring a huge comfort to them.
