Mumbai: Suburban commuters in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will get more space and AC travel opportunity from May 1, with the Western Railway introducing additional 15-coach trains and both WR and Central Railway expanding air-conditioned services.Central Railway (CR) will scale up its AC suburban operations to 108 daily services from May 1, after adding 14 more trips on the Harbour line. This will push its AC network past the 100-services mark.Western Railway (WR) will convert 17 existing 12-coach non-AC locals into 15-coach services, increasing the total number of 15-car trains from 227 to 244. Eight of these longer trains will run on the Virar–Dahanu Road section, offering higher capacity on a stretch that has seen rising demand.Railway officials said the move is aimed at easing crowding without increasing the total number of services. However, due to operational constraints, 15-coach trains will not halt at Grant Road, Charni Road and Marine Lines stations in both directions. Instead, they will have a double halt at Dadar on platform number 4 to manage passenger flow.WR will also introduce 12 additional AC local services by replacing existing non-AC trains.
