Passenger associations have now decided to take the authorities head-on and question them on September 29 in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
Commuters are irked by the Central Railway's (CR) inability to add more services on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-Kalyan corridor in the new timetable. Passenger associations have now decided to take the authorities head-on and question them on September 29 in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The first round of meetings with the CR officials took place on September 28 at CSMT.
The meeting took place on Thursday evening where the passenger associations demanded the reasons for not running extra services from October 1. "We have given a letter demanding the reasons for not adding more services on the Main line. This is where maximum people travel daily. The CR authorities have promised that they will add new services from November," said S Raut, vice president, Kalyan Karjat Kasara Rail Pravasi Sangh.
The passenger associations claim that commuters are angry over the CR's improper planning as far as adding more trains on CSMT-Kalyan/Karjat/Kasara stretch is concerned. Sources in the CR said that they have asked passenger associations to refrain from coming in huge groups on September 29 to meet Railway minister Piyush Goyal.
"It is unfair that the CR is discarding commuters on the Main line," said Nandkumar Deshmukh, president, Thane Rail Pravasi Sangh and Federation of Railway Passengers Association.
There are more than 10 different passenger associations which are likely to gather from 10am onwards at CSMT. As per the schedule, Piyush Goyal is expected to be in Churchgate at 2pm, and at CSMT by 3pm.
"We will be adding 40 services on the Main line from November and January next year," said Sunil Udasi, Chief PRO, Central Railway. The authorities want to run these additional services on Thane-Karjat/Kasara stretch but the railway minister wants them to operate on CSMT-Kalyan route and the timetable is being worked out.
Starting October 2, the CR will introduce 28 additional suburban services on Harbour Line and Trans harbour lines. The total daily services on Harbour line will increase from 590 to 604 while on Trans harbour line it will increase from 232 to 246 daily services. The CR will be cancelling six services on the Harbour line in the process but at the end of the day the CR will operate 1688 services every day from the existing 1,660 services.
- Introduction of 14 additional services on Harbour line
- Total services on Harbour line will increase from 590 to 604 daily
- Introduction of 14 additional services on Transharbour Line
- Total services on Transharbour line will increase from 232 to 246 daily
- Vadala Road originating/terminating services will increase from 40 to 58 daily
- Thane-Panvel services will increase from 57 to 66 daily
- Total suburban services on Central Railway will increase from 1660 to 1688 daily.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "CR-commuters")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}