THANE: The sudden short termination and origination of few South bound trains on the Konkan route to and from Panvel has left several commuters especially those staying on the Western suburbs inconvenienced as many complain of having to travel for nearly three hours and spending a fortune to board their trains.
It may be recalled that ongoing works at the LTT yard has in turn impacted services of few outstation trains especially those running on the Konkan route including the popular Matsyagandha and Nethravati express which have now been temporarily short originating from Panvel station.However, several commuters especially those from the distant Thane suburbs, Mumbai city and Western suburbs complain of having to travel long or spend extra, especially during peak hours, to reach Panvel in time.
One such commuter couple is 65 year old Haridasan Nair from Marol and his wife who ended up spending hours travelling to Panvel and spending around Rs 1400 as taxi fare and porter chargers after their train to Cherthala (Sherthalai) on July 6.
“We had booked tickets from LTT as travelling would be comparatively easier for us seniors. However, few days before, we were alerted our train would depart from Panvel. As travelling by local wasn’t feasible for us during peak hours, we opted for a cab and had to spend extra money and time. Plus, the taxi hub is located far from the station and the porter charged us over Rs 350,” echoed the couple.
Niroop Mannotti from Ambernath had to spend nearly 2.5 hours driving to Panvel to escort his elderly relative who was travelling to Kerala due to the sudden alteration. “My father-in-law was to board the train from Thane earlier and we were planning to take a local but the last minute shift left us helpless,” he said.
A delegation from the Maharashtra Malayali Passenger Association (MMPA) met the railway administration early this week expressing their concern about the inconvenience faced by their community members while travelling by these trains.
“There are nearly 20 lakh Kerala natives staying in and around the metropolitan region who patronise the Kerala bound trains from LTT as it is convenient for them. Abruptly shifting the originating station is not just time consuming but also adds to travel cost. We understand constraints faced by the railways but the administration should atleast operate these trains from Thane if LTT wasn’t available,” said Sashi Kumar Nair of the MMPA.
A response from Central Railway was awaited.
