15 April,2014 07:29 AM IST | | Shashank Rao and Richa Pinto
After the derailment on Monday morning, trains running on the Konkan route have either been diverted or cancelled; passengers turn to buses for relief
Summers are the season of holidays and travelling, however, on Monday the plans of people travelling on the Konkan railway route were ruined.
Many passengers were disgruntled by the lack of communication of railways and informing them about the cancellation only in the last minute
At 8.10 am, five coaches of an empty goods train derailed on the Mumbai-Goa/Mangalore route. Many passengers were left stranded holding their confirmed tickets at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Panvel, after it was announced that the trains have been cancelled.
Mohan Devadiga was travelling to Udupi, Mangalore with his sister's family. "Till morning, the status of the tickets online were showing as confirmed. We left our house with our luggage to board the Matsygandha express. It was only when we reached Kurla terminus that we were told that the train has been cancelled."
Devadiga has to attend an important family ritual on Wednesday and therefore cannot postpone his travel plans. "We have no option but to look for a bus. We are worried that they might charge exorbitant amount, taking advantage of the recent cancellations."
Rukmani Suvarna from Bhandup had come to see off her sister's kids who had come from Mangalore for holidays. "My nephew is supposed to join back office on Tuesday, but with the train cancelled he will not be able to attend work. We may get the cancellation amount but it will not help him. Authorities should have at least sent an SMS informing about the cancellation."
Status of Konkan Railway Route
