'Central Railway has taken people for a ride'

MUMBAI: The option of travelling by train, especially when it is against the traffic is usually the best one. Today, I was a lot more confident than the last three days as the Central Railways mega-block work had officially got over on Wednesday. 

I did not take in to account the spillover of work that would take place due to the blockage of three days. The journey from Charni Road station to Elphinstone Road was quick as usual. 

However, I was in for a shock at Parel station. The 9.55 am train which was to have arrived in few seconds got delayed by 20 minutes. Women in the second class compartment looked harried. The crowd began piling up as the minutes ticked away. 

After 10.15 am when the train screeched to a halt it was definitely a jolt for me. Pulls, pushes, abuses and wrestling was all I could see around me. 

The journey that usually takes about 40-45 minutes from Parel to Thane seemed to take about half a day. 

I spoke to many women and felt their sense of helplessness. "What do we do, we don't have any control," all said. But they were optimistic about one thing: the train services will improve.

Having reached Thane I again miscalculated the time required to reach office. I was in for a shock as I saw scores of people all along the over-head bridge standing motionless. By then the Titwala train was cancelled and people were seen running from one platform to another. 

If this was the condition a day after the mega-block, I can only imagine how bad it must have been during the last three days when most trains were cancelled. 

It is sad that people still have to undergo hardships even after the mega block has been cleared.