Mumbaikars can now heave a sigh of relief from their daily grind. With mercury level shooting up, the Western Railways have now come out to beat the heat with a cool solution: to run AC trains on Churchgate – Borivli section of the western railways.

According to Sharad Chandrayan, chief public relations officer, WR, the first batch of AC locals would start in September this year. He further said, “We are considering running 2 services a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening, though an exact timing needs to be decided.”

Well informed sources revealed that the most likely time slot for the service would be 8 am from Borivli and 6 pm from Churchgate, since these are the peak hours, it will much more the commuters.

There would be separate ladies compartments, but unlike non-AC locals there would be no first class or second class or a segregated luggage compartment, the railway officials clarified. “The trains will have automated doors which once closed only then the trains will move,” they added.

According to sources, the Railway Board in Delhi is still in the process of deciding the fares of these services. It is likely to exceed the current first class fare which is Rs 145. As per sources, the fare of the AC coach will top the first class fare by at least 10 percent.

“Since it is a premium service people wouldn’t mind paying more than they are already being charged,” said a WR official.

But to beat the present state, the officials are considering various options over fares charged for a particular metro route.

A WR official said, the train may commute between the Churchgate-Borivli stretches with a minimum number of halts.

As stated by an official, “This is a good reason for people to agree to pay the considerably higher fares. We are still in discussion on the number of halts which will be decided depending on the demand.”