AC local fares in Mumbai to go up from June 3: Western Railway

The fares of the AC local train in Mumbai operated by the Western Railway (WR) are set to rise from June 3, an official said on Saturday.

The minimum fare for a single journey ticket will now cost Rs 65 instead of Rs 60, while the maximum fare will be Rs 220 instead of Rs 205, the WR official said.

The fare hike is due to the Ministry of Railways' decision to withdraw the introductory offer, he said.

"The fare hike will come into effect from June 3, when the AC local train resumes services after its usual weekend break," the official said.

The AC local does not operate on Saturdays and Sundays as it undergoes regular maintenance.

When the AC local service commenced in December 2017, the WR had decided that as an introductory offer, its fare would be 1.2 times of the base fare of first class for the first six months. However, the offer was extended a few times. The last extension was till the end of May (2019).

"After the withdrawal of introductory offer- which was 1.2 times the first class fare of regular local trains- the revised AC local fares will be 1.3 times the first class fare. It means the minimum fare for a single journey ticket will increase from Rs 60 to Rs 65, while the maximum fare will go up from Rs 205 to Rs 220," the official said.

The season tickets will also increase accordingly, he said, adding that the weekly pass travellers will have to pay Rs 25 to Rs 80 more, fortnight pass holders will have to pay Rs 35 to Rs 125 more and monthly pass holders will have to shell Rs 50 to Rs 165 extra.

According to the WR, at least 58 lakh commuters have travelled in the AC local by the end of last month since its commencement.

The fare hike decision has not gone down well with the commuters, who say the WR should at least increase the frequency now.

Rajiv Singal, a daily commuter and former member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC), said though the fare hike, the WR was "discouraging" the AC train passengers.

"Considering that the train has low frequency and as it does not run of weekends, the decision to withdraw the introductory offer looks unwise, especially so in the summer season when passengers opt to travel by it. The fare hike will discourage the passengers," he said.

Currently, the WR runs 12 services of the AC train from Monday to Friday from Churchgate to Virar.