Passengers ready to board the air-conditioned suburban train at Churchgate station in Mumbai (Pramod Thakur/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)Since its launch on 25 December last year, air-conditioned trains on Mumbai’s suburban rail network have witnessed good patronage. The AC locals run on five days of the week from Monday to Friday and carry an average of 15,666 passengers per day, reports Rajendra Aklekar for Mid Day.
Numbers released by Western Railway (WR) show that over 22 lakh passengers have used the services in the seven months following its launch. WR operates twelve services in a day between Churchgate and Virar. Each train can accommodate 5,964 passengers. WR also said that revenue from these trains was pegged at Rs 9.35 crore from the sale of tickets and season passes. Fares on the premium services are 1.3 times that of prevailing first class rates but were discounted for the first six months.
Railway officials have also said that the due to the AC locals being vestibuled coaches, they had a higher passenger capacity than the ordinary 12-car local trains.
The patronage assume significance after the city’s main bus operator – the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking – scrapped air-conditioned services in April 2017 owing to poor patronage of the fleet of low-quality buses.
Also Read:
Western Railway Flags Off Fully Air-Conditioned Local In Mumbai: Here Are Some Ideas To Make It Work
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.