'Life Has Little Value': Commuters Seen Risking Lives As Trains Hit Delay Due To Motormen Strike In Mumbai | Videos

Mumbai: The maximum city, Mumbai’s lifeline the local train network, came to an abrupt halt on Thursday evening after motormen launched an unannounced strike, throwing lakhs of commuters into chaos. The protest, held during peak hours, resulted in severe overcrowding, dangerous travel conditions, and at least four reported deaths.

The strike began after the Government Railway Police (GRP) filed an FIR against two Central Railway engineers over alleged negligence that led to last week’s Mumbra mishap.

Railway unions claimed the engineers were unfairly targeted, while officials said the FIR was part of the investigation process. The sudden shutdown, however, drew widespread outrage from commuters, who accused railway staff of holding the city hostage.

“Railway employees decided to hold the city to ransom, leading to two deaths, by not running Mumbai locals during peak hours. This is no way to prove a point,” said commuter Jeet Mashru on X. Another user, Ganesh, posted, “Then declare a strike at midnight and protest in front of Mantralaya, but don’t ruin the common man’s life. It is hell for working ladies whose babies cry for their moms.”

The situation on ground was dire. Locals at CSMT, Dadar, Kurla, and Thane stations described scenes of panic and overcrowding as trains stopped for over an hour. Many passengers climbed down and began walking on the railway tracks to reach home. “My train stopped just before the station. I waited for 20 minutes and then walked the entire platform length,” wrote Another X user.

In Thane and Kalyan, desperate commuters boarded an AC local train with its doors open, a risky move that reflected the city’s desperation to get home. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metro also bore the brunt of the strike, with platforms overflowing as office-goers turned to it as the only alternative.

“There is no value to life in this country anymore. Knowing that local trains are the lifeline of Mumbai, staging an unannounced strike is criminal,” one user posted.

While some defended the protest, calling the FIR “vindictive,” most Mumbaikars were united in grief and anger. By late night, services were slowly restored.

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