Taking the work of converting the entire fleet of Mumbai’s local trains into air-conditioned (AC) ones a step ahead, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has invited fresh bids for it. With the railway ministry’s approval in hand this time, the plan is most likely to be executed. The bids for the consultancy would open in January next year.

Before the pandemic hit the city, the MRVC had invited consultants for the work, but things did not move ahead due to the Covid-19 situation and the subsequent lockdowns. A senior official said, “The plan to convert the local trains into AC ones started moving ahead in October this year when Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, after a two-and-a-half-hour marathon meeting with Mumbai officials, had in-principle decided that the city would eventually have only AC locals. The fare structure will be on the lines of the Mumbai Metro and the design of the trains will be changed to make them at par with the international Metro trains. They will be manufactured by private players.”