Mumbai suburban network to get new design trains: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Mumbai: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the Mumbai suburban railway would soon get new-design trains fitted with better features for passenger comfort and reducing overcrowding.

Railway projects of Rs 16,400 crore are in various stages of completion for Mumbai on the Central Railway and the Western Railway, Vaishnaw said on Monday while addressing a press conference via a video link from New Delhi.

He also said the current time gap between two moving local trains is 180 seconds which will be brought down to 150 seconds and subsequently to 120 seconds to reduce over-crowding and operate more services.

"A plan for new design trains on the Mumbai suburban network will be announced soon," the minister said.

The new design trains would have better features and acceleration, and most importantly more oxygen content inside the trains considering the crowd, he said, hinting at an improved ventilation system for coaches and improved suspension for passengers' comfort.

The minister further said that nearly 10 per cent more or around 300 local train services, in addition to 3,000 services operated daily, will be introduced in phases following the completion of the ongoing infrastructure projects.

"Almost 300 km of new tracks will be laid in the city," he added.

"A record allocation of Rs 23,778 crore has been made for railways in Maharashtra in the Union Budget 2025-26, which is 20 times more than the budgetary allocations made under the erstwhile UPA governments," Vaishnaw said.

Maharashtra has signed a tripartite agreement with the central government and the RBI to ensure smooth cash flow and fast completion of railway projects, he added.