Commuters say authorities disconnected from public; slam them for failing to take into account celebration of festivals while planning their work; top CR managers at the head office remained busy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launch of the Nagpur-Pune Vande Bharat train
A crowded AC local compartment on the central line on the night of August 9. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Central Railway (CR) commuters were left suffering on Raksha Bandhan (Saturday, August 9) as late-night rail curbs and cancellations left them without trains, while other modes of transit, such as buses, were ill-prepared to ferry them. Commuters alleged that CR officials have been disconnected from the commuting public and never take any local festivities into account while planning their work.
Top CR managers at the head office remained busy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launch of the Nagpur-Pune Vande Bharat train on Sunday morning. Being Raksha Bandhan, families returning home at night were stranded en masse at stations, leading to chaos. No elected representative from the city, however, raised the issue with CR.
What was the work done?
The local train cancellations were announced on the mainline, the harbour line and the trans-harbour line for several pending infrastructure works, including placing girders for the Lokgram bridge in Kalyan, delaunching of girders of an old road bridge in Ambernath on the main line, commissioning of the electronic interlocking signalling system at Vashi on the harbour line, and casting of a slab for a road bridge on the Thane-Vashi trans-harbour line.
Lack of communication
CR issued a press note around 10.30 pm on Friday, leading to problems as no newspaper was able to highlight it in time, leaving commuters unaware. There was a lack of proper announcements at stations, and the reach of social media handles remained limited.
Commuters vent
Krishna Rajendra, a commuter, told mid-day, “There were no trains after midnight towards Dombivli/Kalyan/Kasara. There was chaos at Thane railway station, and I was stranded with my family, baby in hand.” Another commuter, Saiyed Umar, said, “No local train available beyond Thane. Why? Children, women and senior citizens were present at railway stations.”
An angry commuter, Akshaya Jadhav, said, “Don’t the Railways know that large crowds comprising families travel on Raksha Bandhan? Why does it plan blocks on such a day? This is what happens when you have railway managers who have no clue about the city.”
Jeevan Kande, another commuter, said, “Other railways run extra trains to cater to the commuter rush during festivals, and here we have Central Railway cancelling trains on such days, leaving commuters stranded.” “Why was the block held on Raksha Bandhan? Several people were suffering in crowded AC locals around midnight,” city commuter Bhawar Singh Shekhawat said.
Official speaks
While there was no immediate response to the query, an official spokesperson said, “These maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the railway administration for the inconvenience caused.” Dr Swapnil Nila, chief spokesperson, CR, said, “Works at Kalyan and Vashi were planned to be completed for system improvement. The Lokgram bridge work was even mentioned in the news for early completion. Vashi was to be commissioned with the last block for non-interlocked work. When people were celebrating Raksha Bandhan, railway men and women were working to avoid disruptions and difficulties to persons on normal working days and improve infrastructure.”
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