Dead rat forces CR motormen out of AC lobby at CSMT

From about 9 am, Central Railway (CR) motormen, who pilot suburban local trains, started walking out of their lobby along with their benches and placing them outside on the concourse. The reason: unbearable stench in the air-conditioned lobby

Mumbai: Commuters passing through the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Monday morning might have witnessed an unusually crowded area right outside the motormen’s lobby on the ground floor.

Dead rat forces CR motormen out of AC lobby at CSMT

From about 9 am, Central Railway (CR) motormen, who pilot suburban local trains, started walking out of their lobby along with their benches and placing them outside on the concourse. The reason: unbearable stench in the air-conditioned lobby.

According to sources within the motormen fraternity, the stench had been bothering them since early morning, when first train services started. “The stench had become unbearable and so we all decided to carry the benches outside and place it there and temporarily shift on the concourse. The motormen lobby is air conditioned and, so, is packed without ventilation,” said a CR motorman.

The motormen said they had no other option but to come out onto the concourse, which is a common area for commuters too. They also complained to the administration, who then sent housekeeping staff to address the issue. “When we received the complaint, we immediately sent our staff. There was a dead rat in the AC duct, which led to the stench. As a temporary measure, these motormen sat outside,” said a CR official.

Usually, after completing a trip, the motormen rest for sometime at such lobbies where there are washrooms, drinking water, lockers and a place to eat. The CSMT sees around 500,000-600,000 commuters travelling everyday between CSMT and Karjat, Kasara and Panvel on the Main and Harbour lines.