Mumbai is set to get air-conditioned locals in the next few months. These have, however, become the subject of a tug-of-war between the Western and Central Railways. Central Railway (CR) is demanding that the new AC rakes be inducted into the Harbour line first, instead of being run on WR’s Churchgate-Borivli route, as per the original plans.

A front page report in this paper yesterday stated that CR officials were miffed over WR getting latest technology first and asked for the AC rakes to be inaugurated on the Harbour Line instead. While the disgruntled officials’ argument may have some merit, it is important that valuable time and resources (which means manpower) are not squandered on these railway line wars. There are so many things the railways have to focus on, including improving announcements on platforms, curbing railway deaths (although there is a large onus on commuters for this). Of vital importance is women’s safety in local trains and quick response service.