Good news for commuters: AC ‘Vande Metro’ to replace local trains

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Mumbai's suburban rail travel is going to change soon. Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) has issued a big tender for the purchase of 2,856 fully air-conditioned Vande Metro (suburban) coaches.

Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited Chairman and Managing Director Vilas Sopan Wadekar spoke to media and gave information about the Vande Metro train. He said that this tender has been issued under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase III and IIIA. It is a part of the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. He said, "This not only includes the supply of modern coaches but also their maintenance for 35 years. These new trains will have rakes of 12, 15 and 18 coaches, which will be able to handle the increasing passenger numbers in the future. Currently, most services run with rakes of 12 coaches only."

Two state-of-the-art maintenance depots will also be built for this project at Central Railway (Bhivpuri) and Western Railway (Vangaon). The tender submission process will start from 8 December 2025 and it will be opened on 22 December 2025. This initiative is being taken under the 'Make in India' policy, which will promote domestic manufacturing. Vilas Sopan Wadekar said that all AC coaches will be air-conditioned, making passengers feel comfortable even in heat and congestion. They will have automatic doors which will increase safety. Also, better acceleration and deceleration will improve punctuality and these trains will be able to run at speeds up to 130 kmph.

He further said that the aim of this step is to make travel more comfortable, safe and efficient for the daily commuters of Mumbai. Daily commuters will get special benefits. Passengers will get smooth travel in less time. Special attention will be given to complete the work on time. Explaining about the modern facilities, he said that the coaches will have modern facilities like padded seats, mobile charging points and infotainment system. Along with high capacity HVAC system according to the climate of Mumbai, there will also be special compartments with separate AC ducts for vendors.