With only a few hours to go for the first local between Churchgate and Dahanu to make its first journey, Western Railway still seems to have a lot left to accomplish. The services are scheduled to start from April 16, but WR is yet to figure out a timetable for the local. Further, passenger associations have also expressed anger at not being consulted for finalising the timetable.
Activists have also slammed Union railway minister Pawankumar Bansal’s plan to use a chopper to reach
Dahanu Road for the inauguration of the local. Former railway minister Ram Naik told this newspaper, “Had I been the railway minister now and had the opportunity to flag off the train in the historical birthday week of the Railways, I would have certainly travelled by a local train and not by chopper,” he said.
Railway activist and Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee member Rajiv Singal was disappointed when he learnt that the Railway minister would come to Mumbai by helicopter after flagging off the local from Dahanu Road. He asked, “Why doesn’t the railway minister have faith in his own mode of transport?”
Clarifying the timetable issue, chief public relations officer of Western Railway Sharat Chandrayan said, “We have received many objections and suggestions from passengers and
associations. We will take our committee members into confidence when the plan is finalised,” adding, “The rail minister will use the state government’s chopper as he has plans to visit railway stations.”