Sharat Chandrayan, chief public relations officer, Western Railway, said, “We are still looking at the September deadline for the AC local train.” As per plans, the first such local would be operated on the Churchgate- Borivli route on the Western Railway (WR).
“We are considering running four services a day, two in the morning and two in the evening, though the exact timing needs to be decided,” said a senior railway official.
The most likely time slot for the services is around 8 am from Borivli, and around 6 pm from Churchgate — so they match the passengers’ peakhour schedule. The 12- coach AC rake would be vestibular — which means one can walk through it end to end, without coming upon any partitions.
The ladies’ compartments would be marked on the outside, in the same manner it is now, though it wouldn’t be walled off; officials expect men simply not to enter it. Much like the Delhi Metro, there would be no first or second class, or a segregated luggage compartment. The trains will have closed doors, and they would move only when all the doors are shut.
Special provisions would be made for physically challenged people, though these details have not been adequately worked out yet.
“ It’s a premium service so people wouldn’t mind paying more than that is charged for first class,” said a Western Railway official on the condition of anonymity.
Presently, the minimum fare for the first- class compartment is R 45, which increases in proportion to the distance.
AC train fares would top this by at least 10 per cent.
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