Mumbai: Time to turn all fast trains to AC locals?

In 2022 it was Badlapur and in 2024 it is Bhayandar though both times were political The AC local train issue has been simmering among Mumbai commuters with many wanting to switch over but its separate fare structure is deterring themMost of the commuters midday spoke to agreed that the Railways should introduce more AC trains but emphasised the need to stagger the timings of AC and nonAC trains in consultation with passengers to prevent conflictsHowever the Railways maintained that the fare of AC local trains at 84 paise per kilometere remains cheaper than a monthly bus pass With these challenges ongoing is it time to consider the consultantrsquos suggestion for transitioning from regular trains to AC locals by first converting the fast train corridor to ACIt may be noted that to navigate the transition from nonAC to AC local with minimal commuter disruption the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVC had appointed Systra as its consultant to develop an efficient migration strategy from nonAC to AC trains while causing the least possible inconvenience to commutersAs per their interim report the consultant had proposed a fourphase plan over 18 months to nearly a decade prioritising fast corridors initially before migrating to slower ones for the transition of Mumbais regular local trains into AC trains An official said there have been interim recommendations and the final report was awaited Only after the final report is submitted shall it be studied and implemented if found feasibleCommuters at Badlapur and Bhayandar also suggested staggering the AC train timings so that there is an adequate gap between the two trains ldquoThe AC train should be introduced in such a manner that there should be an adequate gap between nonAC and AC trains to balance out both the classes of public The Railways should consult the stakeholders or us who are passenger representatives We are their eyes on the groundrdquo Rajiv Singal member Western Railway Mumbairsquos Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee saidPolice try to defuse the protest at Bhayandar station on Monday PICRAJENDRA B ARLEKARldquoRailways must come up with solutions to control accidents due to trains being overcrowded during peak hours If they are planning to increase the AC local then the travel cost of AC local needs to be reduced So that many people can pay and travel in AC localrdquo said another AC local commuter Mukesh MakhijaAccording to a senior railway official there was no divide as such between passengers as an increasing number of passengers were now wanting AC trains ldquoThere was no protest by commuters at Bhayandar or anywhere today Both the socalled ldquoagitationsrdquo against AC local trains were political ones They donrsquot have the support of commuters who desperately require affordable safe convenient and comfortable commuting which is fulfilled by AC localrdquo the railway official addedldquoMumbaikars need to pay if they want a betterquality train There has been no fare hike in the past decade and the commute remains cheapest at 11 paise per km When it comes to speed and costeffectiveness no other mode of transport comes close to local trains It is an example of affordability and speedrdquo a senior rail official said