Train services resume in Mumbai

Train services resume in Mumbai
Prasad Kathe, Saturday, December 10, 2005

(Mumbai): Train services resumed in Mumbai after violent protests broke out between police and local train commuters.

Angry demonstrators, demanding better service to their area, stopped all trains between Virar and Borivili and threw stones at the police.

They had to be dispersed by tear gas, and at least 12 people including police personnel, were injured in the lathicharge that followed.

"They were making several unreasonable demands. We tried calming them down but when they started damaging vehicles and injuring people, we started using tear gas and lathicharge," said Suresh Khopade, Railway Police Commissioner.

The Western Railway is the lifeline of Mumbai's transport network and from Virar alone, more than 10 lakh passengers use the local train daily to come into Mumbai for work.

Pacifying commuters

Now these people are clamouring for more tracks on the route, more frequent trains and a special shuttle between Andheri and Virar.

"The work on the track has been going on way too long, it's high time they wrapped up," said a local.

The rail roko and violence that followed brought all train traffic on this route to a standstill.

And now the Western Railway is trying to bring back its train servives to normal.

It tried to convince angry commuters that all their demands will be met and that work has constantly been going on to upgrade the system, but could not keep up with the rapid growth in commuter population.

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