Railways worried if Mumbaikars will opt for AC train

Mumbai: The Western Railway (WR) is worried about if commuters will travel by the upcoming AC train as only 1.8 per cent of 35 lakh commuters buy first class season (one month and above) passes. This is also the reason for the tickets to be priced at Rs 10 to 85.

The WR fears that other than the low number of commuters in first class, the fact that the trains will be running during non-peak hours will further decrease the probability of earning enough moolah from one of the most anticipated train this year, an official
said.

“The fact that we have a very small base of commuters who are willing to shell out a decent amount of cash for the first class means we have very little numner of people who will be in that train even if we add passengers from the second class who will somehow manage to squeeze out that much per month,” he said.

Officials are unsure about how the train will fair once Mumbaikars occupy it fully as an AC local train has never run in the city during the peak morning and evening hours, an official said, “The synchronisation of the AC’s equipment with the current railway system has been a cause for concern from the very beginning. Until now, the train has actually not seen commuters inside it but the weight of the commuters has merely been simulated by sand filed gunny bags.”

The proposal drafted by the Mumbai division of WR (Mumbai Central) is currently being looked over by the WR’s headquarters located at Churchgate.

The minimum fare of the train will be around Rs 10 from Churchgate to Mumbai Central. With increase in the distance slab, a ticket will be maximum of Rs 85 up to the last station Virar.