India's first broad-gauge, air-conditioned (AC) local train completed two years on track this Wednesday, earning the Western Railway a revenue of at least Rs 40.03 crore, an official release stated here on Friday.
The first AC local, fitted with the indigenous three-phase propulsion system of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, arrived in May 2017, and after several safety trials, it was pressed into service on Dec. 25, 2017.
On an average, approximately 18,000 commuters travel by the AC local every day, with at least 1,500 in each service, the WR's statement said.
"In the last two years, as many as 8,43,343 tickets were sold for the train, of which 6,62,565 were single-journey tickets and 1,80,778 were season tickets," the release stated.
The WR currently operates 12 AC services, of which eight fast services ply between Churchgate and Virar and three between Churchgate and Borivali, apart from a slow service from Mahalaxmi to Borivali.
The 12-coach AC local has state-of-the-art security features including automatic door closing, talkback and fire-fighting systems in every coach.
Till date, the city has received four AC locals- three for WR and one for the Central Railway (CR).
"At present, two locals are being plied for regular services, while the third one will be operational from early next year", a railway official said.
He further said that the CR received it's first AC local earlier this month and it will hit the tracks after some mandatory safety trials.
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