Rush hour revolt: Commuters protest AC train introduction at Virar

Commuters block the track at Virar station. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Anger boiled over against air-conditioned (AC) local trains at Virar during the morning rush hour on Monday, with commuters jumping onto rail tracks against the newly introduced 8.28 am AC local train, questioning the need for such a train just five minutes ahead of the Virar-Churchgate AC local at 8.33 am. However, Western Railway (WR) officials said the 8.28 am AC train ran full even with ticket checking onboard, which indicated a need for this additional local train service.

Chaos at Virar

There was chaos at Virar station after the regular 8.28 am Virar-Churchgate local was converted into an AC service, triggering a massive protest by commuters who poured onto the railway tracks and brought train movement to a halt. A handful of passengers blocked the train, shouting slogans against Western Railway authorities. The switch from a non-AC local train to an AC service sparked immediate outrage among daily commuters who depend on affordable travel.

Move questioned

With an AC local already scheduled at 8.33 am, commuters questioned the decision to introduce another AC train just five minutes earlier at 8.28 am, effectively squeezing out a crucial non-AC option. Passengers said this has reduced the number of regular local trains, leading to overcrowding. But WR officials said that the new AC local was packed, stressing the need for more AC locals.

AC vs non-AC

Most commuters mid-day spoke with said the railways should introduce more AC trains, but must stagger timings of AC and non-AC trains in consultation with commuters to avoid conflict. Railway authorities insisted that at 84 paise per km, the fare of AC local trains still remains cheaper than a monthly bus pass.

Why this rage?

While most of the 8 million commuters still prefer the regular non-AC locals due to their (cheapest in the world) affordable fare structure, there has been an increasing number of passengers who are willing to pay for AC local services for their exclusivity, though they do not necessarily get good service. There has been a steady increase in their numbers, and the railways have been adding to the AC fleet of trains. But here's a catch. The AC services are being increased at the cost of regular ones, as they are all being run in the same saturated system. So while the number of services remains steady, one comes at the cost of another, which has become the bone of contention. However, in my opinion, a prudent, practical and need-of-the-hour solution would be to offer fare correction along with streamlining operations by rationalising services for further efficiency. For a long time, the fares of Mumbai local trains have remained dirt cheap, and they need to be corrected. An attempt to do this was made in 2014, but had to be reversed; and as we do that, we need to streamline the setup of Mumbai's railways into a zone and rationalise services, once segregation of corridors has been completed. Mumbai's railways need attention to get this done and the the process has started.

Voices

Rajiv Singal, member, Western Railway (Mumbai) Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committee
‘The AC locals don't add up to even 10 per cent of the existing fleet. I suggest that as the demand increases, the railways ought to convert the regular services to AC ones, and along with that, they could simultaneously reduce the number of first-class coaches and convert them into general ones to accommodate regular passengers. That will create space for them; the reason being those shifting to AC locals are mostly the first-class commuters.'

Shailesh Goyal, former member, National Railway Users Consultative Committee
‘This government talks of converting all trains into AC. At the same time, it introduces a non-AC door closing local. It has created confusion in the minds of people who now find the number AC local services increasing. The government needs to lay down a categorical policy and stick to it'