Commuters pull alarm chain twice over faulty fans, delaying Central Railway local

The fans on the Diva-CSMT local train coach stopped working. Pics/By Special Arrangement

Irate commuters on the Central Railway (CR) pulled the alarm chain twice over non-functional fans in a jam-packed morning local train, leading to delays in the rush hours.

"A 15-car Diva-CSMT local train faced repeated delays during Friday's morning rush hour after the passengers pulled the alarm chain over non-functional fans in coach number 2117A," a railway official said.

"The train was initially held at Diva from 8.46 am to 8.48 am and again at Thane from 9.02 am to 9.08 am, with the same coach's fan fault triggering the second alarm activation. The repeated stoppages added to congestion on the CR line," added the official.

Commuters reported that the issues extended beyond just the fans; tube lights, digital boards, and announcements inside also remained erratic, indicating that CR should take the maintenance of passenger amenities seriously.

OfficialSpeak

Central Railway officials have appealed to passengers not to pull alarm, for such reasons as the detention will lead to a chain effect. "The delay causes a domino effect delaying all the trains behind in the system," an official said.

Speaking about maintenance, another CR official said that all rakes are examined at the car shed at the end of the journey and that they shall launch a drive to rectify all the electricals on-board the local trains at all car sheds.

Voices

Akshay Jangra, a commuter and travel and tourism professional,
‘Local trains are the lifeline of the city, yet basic passenger amenities are often neglected. Non-working fans, poor ventilation, and delayed maintenance make daily travel extremely uncomfortable'

Shardul Sabde,a d aily commuter,
‘CR has forced commuters into deep resignation, lowering their expectations to a desperate hope that trains simply run somehow. This systemic failure exposes a total lack of administrative will'