Mumbai railways stuck with Mamata Banerjee’s ladies’ specials

Former railway minister Mamata Banerjee seems to have forced the running of a few ladies’ special trains on Mumbai’s commuters though there was no demand.

City railway officials said they have no power to cancel these trains and the decision had to come from Delhi.

The result: Many of these ladies’ special trains run empty, even during peak hours, wasting power and money.

Banerjee had introduced ladies’ special suburban trains called Maturbhumi Specials for working women in Mumbai, Delhi
and Kolkata in this year’s railway budget.

“It was a national decision and we are following it. We cannot cancel these trains at our level and a decision has to come from the ministry,’’ a senior official said.

Thane resident Ashwin Gala pointed out that the 9.14am nine-car Thane-Panvel ladies’ special train practically runs half empty on most days even as male passengers stand helplessly on crowded platforms. “This results in the next train that comes is doubly crowded. This is unfair,’’ Gala said.

Subhash Gupta, former member of the National Railway Users’ Consultative Committee, said he had spoken to railway authorities and they had given an assurance that they would send an “‘occupancy study’’ to the railway ministry to consider a decision to revert such “unwanted trains”.

“I will also write to the ministry to take a call on this matter,’’ Gupta said.