Mumbai: A ‘Rail Roko’ protest was held on Monday morning at Virar railway station, where scores of commuters descended on to the tracks to oppose the introduction of additional AC local trains.
The protest followed Western Railway’s (WR) decision to convert some non-AC suburban services into AC trains from May 1. While the Central Railway (CR) has converted 14 non-AC services into AC, WR has converted 12, taking their total AC services to 108 and 145, respectively.
The conversion of the 8.28am Virar-Churchgate local into an AC service triggered anger among commuters, who raised slogans against the railway administration.
The disruption during peak hours led to delays of 10-15 minutes on the Western line, affecting thousands of daily passengers. The Railway Protection Force personnel intervened and cleared the tracks, restoring normal operations.
Commuters criticised the replacement of non-AC with AC services. They pointed out that an AC service already operates at 8.33am, leaving only a five-minute gap between two AC trains and reducing the availability of regular services. They said this has intensified overcrowding in non-AC trains. Even minor delays in AC services can disrupt the schedule of subsequent non-AC trains, they said.
Apart from scheduling issues, AC suburban trains are witnessing heavy crowding during peak hours, with large groups of commuters attempting to board at once. This often prevents automatic doors from closing on time, delaying departures. Earlier this year, a service between Thane and Kalyan reportedly ran with its doors open after passengers crowded near the entrances, underlining operational challenges.
Protesters have said that said modernisation should not compromise affordability and demanded that new AC services be introduced without replacing the existing non-AC trains.
The 8.28am service is considered crucial for office-goers, students and workers travelling from the Virar-Vasai belt. With AC fares significantly higher, many said the change has strained their daily budgets. Several railway passenger groups have urged the authorities to review the decision and reinstate regular services.
Railway officials said increasing AC services is intended to ease congestion. However, commuters said such measures fail to address inconsistent service replacements and inadequate communication, with sudden changes between AC and non-AC trains often leaving passengers inconvenienced.
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