India’s first air conditioned local train was flagged off from Mumbai’s Borivali station by Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Monday, 25 December.
Western Railways chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the last technical trial run of the AC rake, conducted on 24 December in the presence of the senior officers, was successful.
The official added that the AC local will initially run only in the Churchgate-Borivali section. From 1 January 2018, it will run from Churchgate to Virar with 12 services per day, he said.
Charting out the train’s operational routine, a WR statement said that out of 12 services of the AC local train, eight will run as fast local trains between Churchgate and Virar, stopping only at major stations like Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander and Vasai Road in both directions.
Three fast services will run between Churchgate and Borivali stopping at Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra and Andheri stations in both directions, it went on to add.
One slow service of the AC local will operate between Mahalaxmi to Borivali early morning.
Specifying the fare, the statement said that the base fare of the single journey of AC local shall be 1.3 times the base fare, of the existing fare of single journey in a first-class ticket.
However, as an introductory offer for a period of initial six months, the base fare of single journey of AC EMU shall be charged 1.2 times, the statement said.
Weekly, fortnightly and monthly season tickets shall be charged equivalent to five, 7.5 and 10 single journeys of AC local respectively, the statement added.
It added that no other type of season tickets shall be issued for the time being and that AC local ticket-holders would be allowed to travel in the first class compartments of non-AC local trains.
The statement informed that the services of AC local train will replace existing 12 non-AC services, keeping the total number of services on WR's suburban section static at the current 1355 services.
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