In Mumbai, the Railway Board has finally decided to allow first class pass holders to travel by air-conditioned locals after long-pending requests from commuters.
The service is currently available at the booking counters, but will soon be available online. First-class pass holders, however, must pay for the entire period, not just the remaining days, when upgrading their passes.
As a result of the political feud over AC local trains, railway officials are taking various measures to ensure a higher number of passengers travel on AC local trains. As a result of the increase in ticket prices, railways are upgrading their systems. A software upgrade is being carried out by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to incorporate the additional fare. Soon, it will also be available at booking counters and through the Universal Ticket System (UTS).
In a statement, a senior railway official said, “We will soon incorporate this facility into our online ticketing systems. Our system is being upgraded.”.
In accordance with a recent circular released by the railway ministry, existing first class quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly AC local season ticket holders will be required to pay the difference in fares regardless of the remaining days on their existing passes. As with the existing first-class pass, the validity of the pass will remain the same.
A reduction in AC local fares was implemented on May 5 this year, making the minimum single-journey fare around ₹35 for up to 10km. Despite the fact that this is a good move by the railways, first class pass holders should also have been able to board AC trains for single trips by paying an additional fare. “This will help divert crowds during peak hours,” said Shaurya Chehria, 34, a regular first-class commuter.
Central Railway cancelled ten additional services last month after protests over rescheduling regular local trains during peak hours. Currently, the central railway operates 56 AC local services, while the western railway operates 48.
Central and Western Railways are developing long-term plans to replace their existing fleet gradually with 238 AC locals. There will be 47 more rakes in the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) by 2025. We will gradually procure the remaining 191 rakes as new services are added.
