Central Railway brings relief to passengers, plans 24 new services on two lines

After facing a series of problems, the over 12 lakh commuters on the Harbour and Trans Harbour lines can finally expect some good news as the Central Railway (CR) plans to add 24 new services on the two lines which could also include Bombardier rakes that are being inducted into the CR system for the first time.

This comes as a big respite to the commuters using the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-Panvel (10 lakh daily) and Thane-Vashi (2 lakh daily) corridors. Sources said that with the four new Bombardier rakes coming in, not only will the commuters get newer rakes but also more services.

Confirming the same, SK Jain, Divisional Railway Manager (Mumbai), Central Railway said, "We will be introducing 24 new services on the Harbour line by the end of this month."

Currently, the CR operates 590 services on the Harbour line, 232 on the Trans Harbour line and 838 services on the Main line daily. Sources said that they are yet to decide the timetable for the same and that whether they would be immediately pushing the Bombardier rakes into the system. The officials said that they will hold a meeting soon wherein they will decide which rakes can be replaced and where additional services can be added.