Starting October 1, the Mumbai division of Western Railway (WR) will boost its daily train services, adding 12 new trains and upgrading 10 existing services from 12-car to 15-car rakes. This change will raise the total number of daily services from 1,394 to 1,406 and increase the number of 15-car services to 209, up from 199.

These updates are part of the Indian Railways' annual timetable revision, typically scheduled for October. This year, WR will focus on suburban services, postponing long-distance train adjustments to January to avoid disrupting passengers. Notable changes include reallocating a rake from the CSMT-Borivali Harbour route to the Churchgate-Virar route.

The new services will include:

• Four routes between Dadar and Virar

• One route between Virar and Churchgate

• Routes extending from Churchgate to Goregaon, Andheri, and Nalasopara

Additionally, 6 services will be extended, and 16 will see operational changes, such as shifts from slow to fast services.

The increase in 15-car trains will bring the total to 209, enhancing overall capacity and service quality. This follows last November's upgrade of air-conditioned 12-car services and previous increases in service numbers.

In another move, Western Railway (WR) has collected ₹62.31 crore in fines from April to August 2024, targeting ticketless and irregular travel across Mumbai's suburban and long-distance services. Over ₹20 crore was recovered from the suburban section alone.

In August, WR fined ₹4.96 crore from 1.19 lakh passengers without proper tickets or with unbooked luggage, with ₹2.62 crore from 82,000 cases in the suburban area. To address unauthorised travel in AC local trains, WR conducted surprise checks, penalising nearly 23,800 passengers and collecting ₹78 lakh in fines.

These actions, led by senior commercial officers, aim to improve travel comfort and service for legitimate passengers.