No fare hike for Mumbai's air-conditioned local train services till 24 December, says Western Railway

Mumbai: Western Railway (WR) has said that there will be no hike in the fare of its air-conditioned local services till 24 December this year. WR, in a statement said, that, as part of the introductory offer that has been extended by six months, the base fare for a single journey would continue to be 1.2 times that of the corresponding First Class fare. [caption id=“attachment_4570721” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the air-conditioned local train run on the Churchgate-Virar section. Twitter@WesternRly[/caption] WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the decision was taken due to the good response the AC local was getting from commuters. Bhakar said that AC suburban services had earned Rs 7 crore so far by selling 1.8 lakh tickets. The AC local services were commissioned on 25 December last year. Currently, WR runs 12 services of the AC local daily from Monday to Friday on the Churchgate-Virar section. Rajiv Singal, a former member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) welcomed the move. “The Railway Board’s move is a wise one. There is just one AC local rake and that too faces technical glitches often. The Railways should ensure smooth operations before going in for a fare hike,” Singal said.