Mumbai: Commuters At Bhayander Station Left Disappointed After AC Conversion Of Local Trains

Since the switch last week, commuters have been protesting the AC service conversion of the normal 8:24 AM Bhayander-Churchgate local train at Bhayander station. The dissatisfied public gathered at the cabin of the station manager, as reported by Mid-day. The regular 8:24 AM Bhayander local is very well-liked by people who want to get to Churchgate by 10 AM.

New AC Bhayander Local Causes Issues For Commuters

Over the Mumbai Suburban portion, the Western Railway has expanded the number of AC local services, substituting AC for non-AC trains. As reported by Mid-day, a regular passenger named Prakash Almora said that the train’s conversion to AC was unjust because it forced normal commuters to skip it and interfered with their schedule.

On account of the inconvenience caused and concerns about how the needy can travel with a pass of ₹200 for ₹2,600, local train passengers in Bhayander have protested against the conversion of morning local trains into air-conditioned trains, as reported by Mid-day. Meanwhile, other commuters voiced worries about the new system’s lack of affordability.

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The Shift To AC Train Services

The number of AC services has grown from 52 to 65 on Saturdays and Sundays and from 96 to 109 on weekdays, including the addition of 13 new AC routes. Despite an increase in AC services, the number of suburban routes, including 109 AC services, will remain at 1,406.

On November 27, new AC trains with six services running in the Up direction and seven in the Down direction departed from Churchgate in south Mumbai. Two services will run up the Virar-Churchgate and Bhayandar-Churchgate routes, and two services will run down the Churchgate-Virar route and other routes.

In order to accommodate customers and ease overcrowding, Western Railways’ Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek, mentioned a major increase in AC local trains. As a result, 13 additional AC services were added, replacing non-AC 12-car services, as reported by Financial Express.

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About 35 lakh commuters are served daily by the Western Railway’s suburban network, which stretches 128 km from Churchgate in south Mumbai to Dahanu in Palghar district.

Cover Image Credit: Instagram/@the_railview & @apna_sahar_mumbai