Mumbai AC local sees 1.5 crore passengers in 5 months — here’s why ridership is soaring

Central Railway’s AC local trains are seeing a massive surge in demand, with more than 1.5 crore passengers travelling in just the first five months of 2026. The sharp rise shows how thousands of Mumbai commuters are increasingly willing to pay extra for faster, cooler and more comfortable travel amid rising summer heat and overcrowded non-AC trains.

Between January 26 and May 20 this year, average daily ridership on CR’s AC locals jumped from around 87,500 passengers in 2025 to over 1.3 lakh commuters in 2026 — a stunning 49% increase in just one year. Officials say the numbers clearly show that AC locals are no longer a luxury service but are rapidly becoming a preferred daily travel option.

Despite Central Railway increasing the number of AC services from 6,834 to 8,991 this year, trains continue to run heavily occupied. The average number of passengers per service rose from 1,474 last year to 1,664 this year, indicating that demand is growing faster than capacity on several busy suburban corridors.

The biggest jump came after Central Railway introduced 14 additional AC services on the Harbour Line. Passenger numbers on the route shot up from 2.3 lakh between April 16–30 to nearly 3.4 lakh in just the next fortnight — a massive 65% spike that surprised even railway officials.

The AC local boom is also translating into record earnings for Central Railway. Daily average revenue has jumped from ₹38.5 lakh last year to nearly ₹56 lakh this year, while total earnings crossed ₹64 crore in under five months. Officials say commuters are increasingly choosing reliable air-conditioned travel over exhausting journeys in packed non-AC trains.

CR currently operates 108 AC local services every day, including 80 on the Main Line and 28 on the Harbour Line. These services are now an important part of Mumbai’s massive suburban railway network, which overall runs nearly 1,820 local train services daily across AC and non-AC categories.

Railway officials believe multiple factors are pushing commuters towards AC locals — intense summer temperatures, overcrowding in regular trains, safer travel conditions and faster commuting. Many office-goers travelling long distances from suburbs now see AC locals as a practical daily necessity rather than an occasional luxury.

Central Railway says the sustained rise in occupancy through March and May proves commuter demand is only growing stronger. With every new AC service quickly filling up, officials believe Mumbai’s suburban network is gradually witnessing a major shift — where air-conditioned local trains are becoming the future of everyday commuting in the city.