Mumbai: Delay in Motorman's funeral leads to massive train cancellations

Mumbai: Delay in Motorman`s funeral leads to cancellations of over 140 trains. Pic/Satej Shinde

The planned last rites and funeral of a Motorman, who allegedly committed suicide on Friday, faced an unexpected delay yesterday, resulting in significant disruptions to train services today, Central Railway said in a statement,

Originally scheduled for 12 noon, the funeral was postponed until 5 pm as close family members arrived late, the statement added.

A number of Motormen attending the funeral rendered unavailable for train operations. This scarcity of staff precipitated the cancellation of approximately 147 trains, a staggering figure that included 88 local train services typically vital during the evening peak hours.

They Railway found itself grappling with the aftermath of the unforeseen circumstances. Passengers across the region were left stranded and inconvenienced by the sudden cancellations, amplifying the challenges faced by commuters already navigating a complex urban transport network.

A Motorman from the Central Railway Mumbai division Friday allegedly died by suicide amid allegations of signal violation. Despite railway officials stating it was a case of a runover, they are investigating from all angles. The motorman has been identified as Muralidhar Sharma.

Venu Nair, the general secretary of the National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU), expressed deep concern over the signal passing at Signal Kurla S-29 of Panvel 44 and Sharma's death after the incident.

"He must have been depressed and frightened about the serious action that the Railway administration was going to take. There are a huge number of posts lying unfilled and loco pilot/motormen are compelled to perform over-duty hours to meet our demand," Nair said.

"The railway administration's severe approach, evident in the harsh penalty of removal from service in overshooting and SPAD cases, has unfortunately led to the tragic decision by Motorman Muralidhar Sharma on Friday."

Railway officials said it will be unfair to level such allegations directly and that they would investigate it thoroughly. "As per the initial information available with Railways this is a case of trese passing. All further angles are being investigated," CR chief spokesperson Dr Swapnil Nila said.