The Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) have witnessed a surge in the number of the air-conditioned local trains commuters on the Mumbai suburban network.
This year during summers, more passengers are preferring AC trains for the commute owing to the rising temperatures and heatwave-like conditions. Therefore, the number of commuters travelling by AC locals is showing an upward trend, the officials added.
On Tuesday, May 28, WR released a data stating that 3,737 season tickets were issued on May 6. This is the highest ever since the induction of AC local trains in the zonal railway.
A WR spokesperson stated that as many as 1,60,645 card (single or return journey) tickets have been booked this month till May 6, 30 per cent more compared to the corresponding period last year, the official said.
The average ridership of the AC local trains was 1,06,925 in May 2023-24 and 1,52,682 till now in May 2024-25.
Meanwhile, the CR issued 2,280 season tickets and registered a ridership of 1,49186 on its suburban network on May 2, and issued 16,731 card tickets on May 6, the official added.
The Western Railway operates 96 AC local train services on weekdays with seven rakes on its suburban section. The Central Railway operates 66 suburban AC local services daily.