Union railway minister wants longer trains in Mumbai so you don’t have to face overcrowding

Mumbai authorities said they would study routes and come up with a new timetable so more 15-coach trains can be accommodated

Tired of jostling for space inside overcrowded local trains? New railway minister Piyush Goyal has a plan.

Currently, the WR operates 36 fifteen-coach trains daily, while CR operates 16. (HT File)

At his first meeting with the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) general managers, held at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ residence a few days ago, Goyal directed them to introduce more 15-coach trains on the suburban line to reduce peak-hour crowds.

As many as 42 lakh Mumbaiites commute on the central and harbour lines daily.

Currently, the WR operates 36 fifteen-coach trains daily, while CR operates 16. CR authorities said they lack essential infrastructure, such as extended platforms, to operate longer local trains. They told Goyal that adding more compartments the 12-coach trains currently in use would delay services and disrupt the schedule of peak hour trains. Goyal directed them to take a cue from WR, which has been running 15-coach trains without any hassles.

Official said they would need to extend platforms as only Kalyan, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Dadar and CSMT can currently accommodate 15-coach trains, which run only on the fast lines. Authorities added that they lack sufficient space to park such trains in their car sheds.

CR authorities said they believe that if longer trains are introduced, then the waiting time for each train will increase. This will delay local trains further. They added that Goyal must take into account intersecting points — where local trains cross over to other tracks — that are mostly near Kalyan. They said the introduction of longer trains would lead to delays in the crossover time near Kalyan as trains slow down when they have to change tracks. Around 750 trains, including mail expresses, cross the Kalyan intersection daily. This means even rail expresses will face delays if more 15-coach trains are introduced.