Mumbai trains to get Rs 20K cr upgrade?

Mumbai: Mumbai’s local train network, which caters to more than 60 lakh commuters daily, will be spruced up and transformed into a fully airconditioned avatar by the end of 2023, at a cost of Rs20,000 crore. “The BJP government at the Centre is focused on ensuring passenger convenience at no additional cost. The current mayhem and overcrowding of local train networks on all three (Western, Central and Harbour) lines begets the need for more dignity in travel, especially for women commuters who have been travelling like sardines in a can due to the huge population growth in Mumbai city,” Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member Mahendra Jain told First India.

Jain, who is also coconvenor of the Maharashtra BJP Vyapari Cell, added that the last effort to ensure the safety of passengers was launched a few years back when Bombardier locomotives were introduced in the Mumbai sector. “It came to our notice then that the distance between the platforms and the footboard of these new-age locomotives evidenced a huge gap, and work on aligning the platform suitably (incrementally) high was accomplished due to ZRUCC’s efforts while keeping the urgency of passenger safety in mind. We were able to introduce 181 ambulances, set up out-patient departments (OPDs) and ensure special trains between Daund and Pune,” he said.

Alongside air-conditioned comfort for passengers at no additional cost, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Kumar is also seeking to improve the efficiency and frequency of local trains. Also planned is making 15-coach trains mandatory in Mumbai--as opposed to the current mix of 12-coach and 15-coach trains--for enhanced passenger capacities. The BJP is set to publicly announce the Mumbai locals refurbishment plans with an eye on the forthcoming BMC elections, where it intends to aggressively try and dislodge the Shiv Sena from power.