MUMBAI, Dec. 15 -- After months of waiting, the Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) will soon get one new air-conditioned (AC) local train each. The new AC trains are currently being transported from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and are expected to join the Mumbai fleet soon. Railway officials said the addition will be particularly helpful to the existing AC local trains, which are currently running at full capacity with no spare trains available. The lack of spare trains has made it difficult to manage breakdowns and routine maintenance. While adding more AC services is possible, railway officials said this will not be done immediately. A WR official said, "One underslung new Medha air-conditioned train has been dispatched from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai for Western Railway and is currently parked at the Villivakkam yard in Chennai," said a WR official. The term underslung refers to the design in which major equipment, such as electrical systems, is kept beneath the coach floor rather than inside the coach. This design frees up interior space, allowing for more seating. As a result, passenger capacity increases from around 1,028 seated passengers to about 1,116 per train. At present, WR operates 109 AC local services using 10 AC trains, while CR runs 90 AC services with seven AC trains. Each new AC train allows the railways to add 10-12 more rail services per day. A WR official explained, "We are currently operating the entire fleet and are barely getting breathing space to maintain them. That is why, at times, AC services are replaced with non-AC ones, as there are no spare trains available and the existing trains must undergo mandatory maintenance." CR officials also confirmed that a new AC train is on its way to Mumbai. "It will take at least a fortnight for the train to arrive and be inducted into the fleet," a CR official said. In recent days, both WR and CR have been grappling with the problem of passengers travelling without valid tickets in AC local trains. This prompted railway authorities to initiate action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, under which offenders could face penal action, including possible jail terms....