AC Local Countdown on Harbour Line: New Services from Jan 26, Commuter Concerns Rise

• Central Railway to reintroduce 14 AC local services on Harbour Line from January 26, Republic Day, on the CSMT, Wadala Road to Panvel route.
• Three regular local services during peak hours (9:09 AM Panvel-CSMT, 5:30 PM Wadala Road-Panvel, 8:00 PM CSMT-Panvel) will be cancelled to accommodate AC locals.
• Previous AC local introduction on Harbour Line in December 2021 failed due to high fares and commuter dissatisfaction over reduced regular services.
• Western Railway is adding 12 new AC local services from January 26, increasing its total to 121, due to good passenger response.
• While AC locals offer comfort, the cancellation of regular services on Harbour Line is expected to inconvenience daily commuters.

Why It Matters: AC locals return to Harbour Line with new services, but regular commuters face inconvenience due to cancellations.