23 February,2022 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Commuters aboard an air-conditioned local train, at Thane railway station, on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Office-Goers, who took the morning AC local between Kalyan and CSMT and even bought a pass, are fuming, as Central Railway has abruptly changed the timing and replaced it with a regular suburban train. CR changed the timetable on Friday, with the introduction of 32 additional AC local services on the main line, including 25 fast ones.
"After the AC local was introduced on the main line, we were very happy and bought a pass. The train used to arrive at Dombivli around 7.47 am and we would reach south Mumbai by 9 am. This train was heavily patronised by commuters, as it was convenient. After the introduction of more services on Friday, the 7.47-am AC local was rescheduled to 9 am and now reaches CSMT by 10 am, which is of no use to us. A regular local has replaced the AC train. Many have lost their regular AC train as well as trust," said Bhandup commuter Sangram Salaskar.
"I feel there is no point in introducing fast trains immediately, as the railways should allow crowds at all stations to get used to the train first. Once it is well patronised, the fast train can come. Moreover, it is equally important to introduce the train in peak hours. What I have gathered during my daily commute is that many first-class pass holders are willing to take the AC train, but the only issue is the time," he added.
Dombivli resident Subhash Rao, who started the Twitter hashtag #RestoreOurACLocal, said, "Kalva, Mumbra and Diva passengers are facing difficulties boarding regular locals during peak hours. The 7.47-am local was the only AC service during peak hours on this section. It looks like the fifth and sixth lines are a curse for us."
"It's bad planning. This is very unfortunate that we are unable to avail the benefit of newly launched AC local trains due to the bad timetable. The 7.47-am AC local was beneficial for the office-goers," said architect Namranil Mukherjee.
"Why are Dombivli passengers subjected to such treatment? Why does CR want to disrupt the smooth commute of these loyal travellers?" asked Vikrant Joshi. "Now, people who boarded from Kopar, Mumbra and Kalva are being inconvenienced. People need to be consulted before any drastic decision," he said.
"We are running AC services on the slow corridor, catering to all stations between CSMT and Kalyan. Now, keeping in view the path released after the fifth and sixth lines between Thane and Diva, more fast services have been introduced for which minor changes have been made in the timetable to avoid clashes," CR chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said.
Commuters on CR have complained of lack of ticket checking onboard the AC trains. "Anyone gets in and out of the AC train nowadays. We have bought the expensive pass for no reason it seems. Most of the time, the coaches are filled up with off-duty railway police, Home Guard and Maharashtra Security Force personnel," said a commuter.
Railway officials said they would step up checks.
Only 7,497 passengers travelled on 60 AC local train trips on Monday, with the sale of 379 tickets (pass and daily ticket), which generated an income of Rs 2.96 lakh.
