Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 12 (ANI): In a major initiative aimed at improving Mumbai suburban services, the Government is pursuing a two-pronged strategy, augmenting the capacity of the suburban network and accelerating the induction of AC local trains.
Around ₹22,000 crore is being invested in capacity augmentation, covering new corridors, additional railway lines, extension of platforms to accommodate 15-coach trains and other measures like yard remodelling, aimed at strengthening the suburban network.
Alongside this infrastructure augmentation, the Government has approved 238 additional AC suburban rakes for Mumbai, for which the procurement process had been initiated. However, assessment of the procurement timeline through technology partners indicated that series supply would take about three years to commence, with the first rake becoming available only by 2030 and the entire fleet by 2034.
Considering the importance of Mumbai’s suburban railway as the city’s lifeline and the need to bring the benefits of AC trains to Mumbaikars at the earliest, it has now been decided to expedite the programme through simultaneous manufacturing of the 238 rakes at three Railway manufacturing units: Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli.
This parallel manufacturing strategy is expected to enable the first of the 238 AC rakes to be available in 2027 itself, with the entire fleet targeted for receipt by 2030.
Speaking on the development, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Mumbai local is the lifeline of Mumbai. The Government of India has sanctioned 238 AC trains for Mumbai local. The previous procurement process for these trains was facing many issues. The entire procurement was projected to extend until 2030, which was unacceptable to us. Therefore, a decision was made today to utilise a new approach: the production will now be handled by the Government of India’s three production units–ICF, RCF, and MCF. This change aims to have the first AC local train in service by 2027.”
CMD MRVC Vilas S Wadekar said, “The revised approach is aimed at aligning induction of AC rakes with the commissioning of new corridors, additional lines and other capacity augmentation works, bringing a major improvement in Mumbai’s suburban railway services at the earliest possible stage. Mumbai local is not merely a mode of transport; it is the lifeline of Mumbai and an integral part of the city’s everyday life. The accelerated manufacturing strategy is therefore focused on ensuring that the benefits of AC suburban travel reach Mumbaikars substantially earlier”.
The simultaneous expansion of network capacity and accelerated induction of 238 AC rakes will together mark a significant step towards a safer, more comfortable and capacity-enhanced suburban railway system for Mumbai. (ANI)