FPJ Special: Here's why Mumbai has not warmed up to AC locals

Mumbai will get two new AC local trains soon, adding to its fleet of 11 rakes on both Western and Central Railway. The problem is, AC locals haven't taken off the way the railway authorities had hoped they would. The primary reason is the ticket price (see box).

A one-way first-class ticket from Borivali to Churchgate costs Rs 140, while the same costs Rs 180 on the AC local. Also, despite repeated requests from commuters, the railways is refusing to allow the first-class season ticket holders (pass holders) to travel on AC locals.

Instead of merely charging them the difference, the first-class season ticket holders are considered as ticketless travellers on AC locals.

The problem

To understand commuters' problems regarding AC locals firsthand, two FPJ reporters and a photographer spent the entire Friday travelling on the AC locals on the Western and Central lines.

On every trip, they found the AC local mostly empty, with commuters waiting for regular locals and giving the comfortable AC train a miss. Here's what they witnessed. The AC local train is undoubtedly the most comfortable suburban commuting option in Mumbai.

The 12-car train is divided into two parts comprising of a six-coach vestibule, giving commuters freedom to walk around and stretch. The FPJ reporters boarded a Churchgate-bound AC local at Bandra at 12.09 pm. The platform was crowded, but hardly anyone boarded the AC train. “There is no clarity on the AC locals' schedule. That's the reason many of us are not buying the AC season ticket,” said a commuter, Rahul Arora, who was waiting for a train to Lower Parel.

Empty trains

Even at this hour, the train was almost entirely empty. The sole commuter in our compartment turned out to be a 'ticketless' traveller; he jumped out before the doors shut as he realised his mistake just in time. Between Lower Parel and Churchgate, barely anyone boarded the train and it turned into a ‘ghost train’ of sorts.

Same problem on Central Railways

The situation was no different on the Central line, where AC local trains were running mostly empty.

We boarded the 2.34pm AC local from CSMT to Navi Mumbai on the Harbour line. There were a handful of commuters in our compartment, one of whom said he had boarded the train by mistake and would get off at the next station, Masjid Bunder. We also travelled on the AC local on the Central Main line during the peak hour of 5.30 pm, only to find hardly any commuters on board. Surveys have been conducted to gauge the pulse of the commuters regarding AC local trains.

Right from augmenting AC train services to running partial-AC trains, multiple options are being debated.

Plenty of options

There have been discussions on what best could be done to make travel in AC locals lucrative. There were plans to sell cosmetics, books, laptops, mobile phones and confectionery on AC local trains as way to attract more footfall. The CR also came out with a video on YouTube featuring the benefits of travelling on AC locals. But if Mumbaikars don't warm up to the idea of AC locals, the future looks hazy.