The Central Railway is planning to shift air-conditioned local trains running on the Harbour line between CSMT-Panvel to its Main line between CSMT-Karjat/Kasara/Kalyan owing to low ridership on the Harbour line. According to railway officials, 60 AC local train services are available in the Central Railway zone, of which 44 run on the Main line and 16 run on the Harbour line. An official said there has been a good response from commuters on the Main line after AC local train single journey ticket fare was reduced by nearly 40 per cent on May 5. However, the response from commuters on the Harbour line has been tepid, he added. “While the daily ridership on AC local trains on the Main line was 17,473, the corresponding figure for the Harbour line was only 2,288. After the revision of fare, the average daily ridership on the Main line increased to 28,141 passengers, but that of the Harbour line rose slightly to 3,299 passengers,” said an official. The official added that to cater to the increased demand on the Main line, the zonal authorities were planning to shift AC rakes to the Main line from the Harbour line. Meanwhile, the Central Railway has decided to run AC local trains on Sundays and holidays, although it will offer fewer rides in comparison to weekdays.
