Central Railway has upgraded 10 Mumbai suburban local train services from 12-car to 15-car rakes with effect from Monday, increasing passenger capacity by around 25% and aiming to reduce overcrowding on the city’s busy suburban rail network.
The revised operations include five Down services heading towards Kalyan, Karjat and Ambernath, along with five Up services travelling towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai.
Down Services Upgraded to 15-Car Rakes
The following Down trains will now operate with 15 coaches:
- Ambernath – 9:15 am
- Kalyan – 12:27 pm (rescheduled from 12:26 pm)
- Badlapur – 3:03 pm
- Karjat – 6:21 pm
- Ambernath – 11:08 pm
Up Services Upgraded to 15-Car Rakes
The following Up services have also been converted into 15-car trains:
- Ambernath – 7:51 am
- Ambernath – 11:03 am (converted from a slow to a fast service)
- Kalyan – 1:36 pm
- Badlapur – 4:47 pm
- Karjat – 8:38 pm
According to Central Railway, the initiative is intended to improve carrying capacity on some of the busiest Main Line services and provide commuters with additional space during peak and non-peak hours.
A 15-car rake offers three additional coaches compared to a standard 12-car suburban train, enabling significantly more passengers to travel on each service and helping ease congestion across the network.
The expansion has been made possible following infrastructure improvements carried out by Central Railway, including platform extensions and yard remodelling at multiple stations across the Mumbai division. These upgrades form part of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to accommodate a higher number of 15-car suburban trains on the Central Railway network.
With the latest addition, the total number of 15-car suburban services operated by Central Railway has increased from 22 to 32, further strengthening Mumbai’s lifeline suburban railway system.
The move is expected to benefit thousands of daily commuters travelling on the Central Railway Main Line by improving capacity and making journeys more comfortable on one of the country’s busiest suburban rail corridors.
Source: NDTV Profit
