Mumbai: After lakhs of commuters were stranded on Saturday due to the motormen's protest, local traffic was completely disrupted on Sunday due to a mega block and signal failure. The 40-minute journey from Dombivali to Dadar took two hours and five minutes. Meanwhile, traffic is expected to resume from Monday as motormen called off their protest to stop overtime after talks with the administration.
As many as 147 local trains were cancelled and twice as many trains were running late on Saturday as various unions of railway employees, including motormen, suddenly called for a non-cooperation agitation alleging that a motorman committed suicide due to crossing the signal incorrectly. The four-and-a-half-hour mega block on Sunday led to the cancellation of several trips, with some trains diverted from faster routes. At the same time, due to a signal failure at Vikhroli station, the local trains were stopped at one place for about one and a half hours.
Then they started somehow. But there was a rush of passengers at the stations. On the return journey, the platforms at Byculla, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, and Thane were packed with passengers.
Protest called off after talksThe motormen of the Central Railway refused to do extra work and called for a non-cooperation protest. A meeting was held between the motormen and the Central Railway administration on Sunday to ensure that traffic is not disrupted on Monday as well. The motormen reversed their decision not to work overtime. This is likely to bring traffic back to normal. The railway administration has promised to convey to the Railway Board the demand for amendment in the rules of crossing the signal.
Will the railway authorities listen to the passengers? Local traffic is further halted during peak hours as long-distance trains are cleared off. Trains coming from Ambernath, Badlapur, Karjat, Khopoli, Titwala, Asangaon and Kasara are affected. Therefore, except for a few prestigious trains, all mail-express should be stopped and local trains should be moved forward first.
The number of cancellations is increasing due to various reasons. The Central Railway already has a short number of 15 coach trains. These trains are also cancelled three times a week. They are not even announced in time. The Thane and Kurla local trains, which were on the schedule before the 12.24 pm Karjat train, have been quietly closed by the railways without any prior notice in the last few months.
Earlier, Central Railway local traffic was suspended for three-and-a-half hours. The time was later extended to three and a half hours. Now, some trains have been quietly cancelled and the time has been reduced to 3 hours and 54 minutes. The waiting time for an AC local is longer than that of a simple local. So even if the AC local comes a little late, the schedule of three to four trains coming from behind is disrupted.