Announcing the proposal to start the Phase II of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) with an investment of Rs 5000 crore, Lalu slipped in the move to get a pre-feasibility study done for the introduction “of an elevated fully air-conditioned metro service between Mumbai Central and Virar on the Western Railway.”

And even though the Railways has shied away from suggesting Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for the project in the past, Lalu said that once the financial viability of the project is established, “its implementation will be considered through various alternatives, including PPP”.

Railway officials, however, appeared skeptical of the announcement. “A lot of feasibility issues are involved in constructing an elevated track to run a suburban AC train on existing routes. Obstructions like existing foot-over-bridges would force the elevated track to be constructed very high, which could lead to escalation in costs,” a Western Railway official said.

Originally prompted by the realization to have something in place to compete with the upcoming Mumbai Metro, the move to have an air-conditioned train has failed to take off till now with question marks being raised about operating such a train on the heavily crowded suburban sections. It has been argued that having closed doors in such a train could severely restrict the number of people allowed in a coach. Also, with tickets for regular services being highly subsidised, a higher charge for AC train, railway officials feel, could stir up trouble.