mid-day had carried a front page report about the premium train getting a halt at Valsad a month ago. Starting August 23-24, the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express will stop at Navsari (NVS) — a station barely 29 km from Surat and 39 km from Valsad
WR officials blamed infrastructure limitations in Palghar district for fewer halts. FILE PIC
One month after allegations of a Gujarat bias following halts for the Vande Bharat train at Valsad and not at Palghar in Maharashtra, the train has now got another halt in Gujarat — this time at Navsari, just 30 km away from Valsad. mid-day had carried a front-page report about the premium train getting a halt at Valsad a month ago. Starting August 23-24, the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express will stop at Navsari (NVS) — a station barely 29 km from Surat and 39 km from Valsad.
Activist Speak
“This marks the fourth new halt in Gujarat in just three years — Vapi, Valsad, Anand, and now Navsari. So, Western Railway has gifted four halts to Gujarat in just three years, but Palghar district’s 140 km stretch remains ignored despite stronger revenue. This means there are clustered halts in Gujarat and a 140 km gap in Maharashtra. Each of these new halts lies unreasonably close to existing stations, with Valsad being 24 km from Vapi, Navsari 29 km from Surat and 39 km from Valsad, and Anand at 35 km from Vadodara. In effect, within just 68 km in Gujarat (Surat-Navsari-Valsad), passengers now have three halts,” Palghar commuter activist Himanshu Vartak said.
“In sharp contrast, Palghar district has been completely bypassed, creating a 140 km non-stop stretch between Borivali and Vapi, ignoring Palghar, Dahanu, and Boisar — all major commuter and industrial hubs. Palghar, as a district headquarters, has long demanded fair stoppages of basic mail and express trains — a right it deserves given its passenger strength and revenue contribution. These demands have been repeatedly ignored. Yet, premium trains like Vande Bharat are being given halts in Gujarat left, right, and centre, more so, just a few kilometres apart, highlighting the blatant discrimination,” he added.
According to another activist, an RTI query had been filed, which left no doubts regarding discrimination. “Palghar outperforms Valsad and Navsari by multiple times in revenue. Yet, Western Railway continues to shower halts on Gujarat, while ignoring Maharashtra’s growing Palghar district. The pattern is unmistakable. Vande Bharat halt decisions are no longer about efficiency or earnings, but about political favouritism. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ensured that Gujarat gets halt after halt, even where they make little operational or economic sense. Commuters have complained that this is not planning. This is not fairness. This is a clear Gujarat bias,” the activist said.
Official Speak
Western Railway officials alleged that the reason for lesser halts in Palghar district is infrastructure limitations in the particular section in Maharashtra, where there is additional traffic of local trains. There is a lot of pressure on the Virar-Dahanu section due to the presence of a large number of trains, including suburban and freight movement. “At present, there are just two lines and the project to quadruple the 63-km stretch of lines between Virar and Dahanu is currently on at a rapid pace. Once the section is quadrupled and the freight corridor is functional, there will be a possibility of providing more services and more halts might be explored,” a WR spokesperson said.
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