Just another commuter? CM Devendra Fadnavis travels in Mumbai local train

CM Devendra Fadnavis travels in Mumbai local train from CST to Kalyan

Train commuters on Mumbai's Central line were in for a surprise on Monday evening.

On Monday evening, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis decided that the best way to reach Kalyan during the evening peak hours was -- not by clearing the roads with a siren-toting pilot car -- but taking the humble train!

CM Devendra Fadnavis (right) takes the CST-Kalyan train on Monday.

The CM, complete with his entourage of armed men and bureaucrats, boarded the 6.29pm Kalyan-bound semi-fast train at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

"He wanted to reach Kalyan on time for a function and so he suddenly decided to take the train," said sources who also travelled in the same train.

The CM, complete with his entourage, boarded the 6.29pm Kalyan-bound semi-fast train at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

Regular commuters were taken aback at seeing the chief minister in the first-class carriage, but did not remain bewildered for long. Out came the camera-equipped cellphones, and in addition to taking pictures of themselves with the CM, pictures of the CM, and pictures of themselves, some commuters even rang up their folks and asked the CM to speak a few words too! Now this was an imposition, but the soft-spoken CM obliged around 10 commuters.

The CM was cordial to all the commuters and even allowed them to take selfies with him.

He also spoke to commuters about improvement of train services, reducing congestion at platforms as well as in the trains, in the near future. The train, which was slow after Thane, reached Kalyan around 7.50pm.