Borivli Blockage

Borivli Blockage

Borivli commuters reacted instantly to a fifteen minute delay to a Churchgate bound train during the peak hours yesterday and this blocked the services for over four hours. There are justifications on both the sides. The commuters depend on train services daily to carry them for work and service with punctuality. Their dependence on the trains is total, because there is no alternative for them. The trains during peak hours are jam packed and the commuters are put to serious hazards day in and day out. The delay seems to have been triggered by the theft of overhead wires in Malad and this was rectified soon, though it would have taken sometime for the western railway. If the station staff would have made repeated announcements about the sudden theft of overhead wire and resumption of service within a few minutes, the ugly turn of events would have been averted. Commuters are an understanding lot, but they need to be told the reason for the delay. Who can prevent a theft of this type, snapping the services? If the announcement was just the train was cancelled, the common man might find it difficult to acccept it in the normal circumstances. While people must understand that there is no suburban railway service in the world carrying so many people as 55 per cent of the city population with good regularity, it is the responsibility to train the announcers to deal with the emergencies with tact and understanding. The railways are the life line in Mumbai, top priority in every branch of its functioning is vital.


A.R.K.Pillai
Feb 5:2009