Mumbai to get its first AC local from January 1
The air-conditioned (AC) suburban train in Mumbai will run from January 1 as announced by Union railway minister Piyush Goyal. The AC local train for Mumbai was first announced in the 2012-2013 railway budget but arrived in the city in April 2016. Now, the Western Railway plans to operate the AC local on the Churchgate-Borivali route during morning and evening peak hours.
First AC local will display Aamchi Mumbai, not ads
The Western Railway (WR) has decided this train will neither be painted like the other local trains nor will it display any advertisements. Instead, the train will be painted in 'Aamchi Mumbai' theme that would display famous monuments, tourist spots and things relevant to the city. The designs are yet to be finalized; designing and painting work would begin soon.
Mahatma Gandhi's mural at Churchgate station has been a hit
The WR recently got a mural of Mahatma Gandhi, at Churchgate railway station, designed and painted by Eduardo Kobra of the Street Art India Foundation. However, this project will be a part of Asian Paints CSR, and will collaborate with Street Art India Foundation.
Fares will be similar to Delhi Metro's
The fares on the AC train will be similar to that of Delhi Metro's i.e. around 1.5 times the cost of first class tickets in the existing local trains. Passes are expected to be priced around 1.5 times more than their first class equivalents. The first air-conditioned local will run on the Western Line which will eventually be followed by nine more such rakes.
