Commuters on the Western Railway (WR) in Mumbai have a reason to rejoice. WR Mumbai is set to receive four additional AC local trains as a "priority" in 2024, while there's currently no update regarding more trains for Central Railway (CR). In a significant development, plans are in place to introduce AC local trains in other parts of the country, including the Eastern Railway and Southern Railway.

The railway board’s letter to the Integral Coach Factory on Tuesday confirmed the allocation of eight new underslung AC rakes for 2023-2025. Four 12-car AC locals, two each in 2023-24 and 2024-25, have been prioritised for Western Railway. While Eastern Railway, headquartered in Kolkata, and Southern Railway, headquartered in Chennai, have been allocated one each as second and third priority respectively.