Western Railway: No fare hike for Mumbai's first air-conditioned local

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Western Railway has said that there will be no hike in the fare of its air-conditioned local services till December 24 this year. WR, in a statement said, that, as part of the introductory offer that has been extended by six months, the base fare for a single journey would continue to be 1.2 times that of the corresponding First Class fare.

WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the decision was taken due to the good response the AC local was getting from commuters.

Bhakar said that AC suburban services had earned Rs 7 crore so far by selling 1.8 lakh tickets. The AC local services were commissioned on December 25 last year. Currently, WR runs 12 services of the AC local daily from Monday to Friday on the Churchgate-Virar section.

Rajiv Singal, a former member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) welcomed the move.

"The Railway Board's move is a wise one. There is just one AC local rake and that too faces technical glitches often. The Railways should ensure smooth operations before going in for a fare hike," Singal said.

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