238 AC locals, Rs 22,000 crore network upgrade: Here’s what’s changing for Mumbai commuters

The revised plan targets bringing additional AC services to commuters sooner while Mumbai’s suburban railway network undergoes a major capacity expansion. As per a PTI report, the 238 12-coach rakes will comprise 2,856 coaches and have an estimated rolling stock cost of Rs 19,293 crore.

The trains will be manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), MRVC Chairman and Managing Director Vilas S Wadekar stated, as reported by PTI.

MRVC, in a post on X, described the move as a major push to Mumbai’s suburban transformation and said the 238 AC local rakes would be manufactured simultaneously.

First AC rake expected in 2027

The revised plan represents a shift from the earlier procurement route.

As per PTI, MRVC had invited international bids in June 2023 for procurement of the 238 AC rakes along with their lifetime maintenance. The deadline was extended several times, but the corporation did not get the expected response.

An assessment of the procurement timeline subsequently showed that series production under the earlier approach would have taken around three years to commence. The first rake would have become available only in 2030 and the complete fleet by 2034, as per MRVC.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated there were “a lot of problems” with the earlier procurement process and that the timeline was not acceptable to the government.

“The entire procurement was going to be completed in 2030 and that’s was not acceptable to us,” Vaishnaw mentioned as quoted by PTI.

He stated the new approach would use the government’s three railway production units so that the first local could arrive by 2027.

Less crowding, more comfort and safer travel

For Mumbai’s daily commuters, the new rakes are likely to bring benefits beyond air-conditioned travel.

Commenting on the commuter’s impact, Wadekar stated to IANS that synchronising the arrival of additional trains with new railway infrastructure would allow the benefits of increased capacity to reach passengers sooner.  

“Crowding levels will be reduced, passenger comfort will be enhanced, and safety will be improved because of closed doors,” Wadekar stated to IANS.

 He said the aim was to align infrastructure creation and capacity augmentation with the induction of new rakes so that additional services could be introduced as capacity and passenger demand increase.

Rs 22,000 crore suburban network upgrade

The faster induction of AC locals is being pursued along with a major expansion of Mumbai’s suburban railway network.

The government is following a two-pronged strategy, increasing network capacity while accelerating the induction of AC local trains.

Around Rs 22,000 crore is being invested in capacity-augmentation work, including new corridors, extension of platforms to accommodate 15-coach trains and yard modelling, as reported by ANI.

Wasdekar also mentioned that these infrastructure projects are expected to be completed in phases between 2027 and 2030.

The aim is to have additional trains ready as the suburban network gains capacity, allowing railway authorities to launch more services in line with commuter demand.

What happened to the earlier procurement plan?

Under the earlier tender, the successful bidder was expected to manufacture prototype trains over two years, followed by five years of series production at an average of around 50 trains annually.

The bidder was also required to build new maintenance depots at Vangaon in Palghar district and Bhivpuri in Raigad district, upgrade existing maintenance facilities and handle the comprehensive annual maintenance of the trains and depots for 35 years.

With the revised manufacturing strategy, the new AC rake is now targeted for 2027, whereas all 238 rakes are expected to be available by 2030.