With few takers for AC local services on the Trans-Harbour line (Thane - Vashi/ Panvel), the Central Railway authorities are mulling shifting these services on the fast corridor of Main Line (CSMT – Kalyan).
Currently, CR operates 16 AC services on Trans-Harbour (TH) line, 10 on its fast Main Line and 12 on the Harbour line.
“Between December 1 and 20, around 300 AC services were in operation on the Trans-Harbour line. Only 1,052 passengers used those trains, which is less than four passengers per service,” said a CR officer.
During the same period, a total of 34,184 passengers used the services on Main Line, which had an average of 175 passengers per service, almost 44 times more than the Trans-Harbour Line.
Passengers of Trans-Harbour Line blame high ticket rates and low frequency for the poor turnout. “The AC train fare is extremely high and an office going commuter cannot afford it,” said Manish Koparkar, vice-president of Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh.
Some said that as the Trans-Harbour Lines are well connected by roads, commuters prefer road travel, rather than spending more on AC trains. “If there is an AC service once in 15 minutes in peak hours, it will be worthwhile for commuters to buy this expensive pass,” pointed out Siddhesh Desai, general secretary of the association.
According to a CR survey, nearly 52 per cent of the 35,685 respondents wanted reduced fares on AC services.
The numbers were poor in November 2021 too, as only 1197 passengers used AC locals run on the Trans-Harbour Line, with an average of three persons per service. On the other hand, on the Main Line, 48,549 passengers availed of the services which worked out to 160 passengers per service.
Data provided by CR further revealed that a total of 10,584 passengers boarded/alighted AC local at Dombivli between December 1 and 20, which was the highest among all stations. Thane witnessed 3,411 passengers, followed by CSMT with 2,990, Mulund with 2,505 and Kalyan with 2,356.
Smaller stations like Mumbra, Kalva and Vikhroli attracted over 1,000 passengers in the same period.
