Konkan commuters cry foul over Dadar-Gorakhpur Express

Passenger associations and activists have called for a protest on May 1, objecting to the reassignment of the Dadar-Ratnagiri train’s slot to the Gorakhpur-bound service

Mumbai: The Central Railway’s (CR’s) recent decision to convert a “special” train between Dadar and Gorakhpur into a permanent express service, and run it in the same slot as the erstwhile Dadar-Ratnagiri passenger train, has snowballed into a Marathi-versus-north Indian row. Passengers from the Konkan region have threatened protests, alleging that the Railways are prioritising long-distance travellers and migrants over Maharashtrian commuters.

Passenger associations and activists have called for a protest on May 1, objecting to the reassignment of the Dadar-Ratnagiri train’s slot to the Gorakhpur-bound service. (Pic for representation/HT Archives)

Passenger associations and activists have called for a protest on May 1, objecting to the reassignment of the Dadar-Ratnagiri train’s slot to the Gorakhpur-bound service. Over the past two days, they have written to the government and approached railway authorities, demanding that the Ratnagiri-bound passenger train be restored to originate from Dadar instead of Diva Junction.

Introduced in the late 1990s, the Dadar-Ratnagiri passenger was among the first trains to connect Mumbai with the Konkan region and served as a lifeline for daily and low-income travellers.

However, in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, CR shifted the train’s origin from the central Dadar station to Diva Junction on Mumbai’s outskirts.

This was done to improve the punctuality of suburban trains. When the Dadar-Ratnagiri train entered the CR main line at Diva, it delayed six to eight suburban services by six to 10 minutes, officials said.

However, the move forced thousands of Konkan-bound travelers, often carrying heavy luggage, to take overcrowded local trains to Diva to begin their long-distance journey.

While this has been the case for nearly six years now, the matter escalated on March 18, when BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan posted a tweet thanking Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the regularisation of the Dadar-Gorakhpur Express. The MP from Gorakhpur said the move would benefit thousands of passengers and reflected the government’s commitment to public welfare.

However, the decision drew criticism from commuters and activists hailing from the Konkan region, who said the train to Gorakhpur had effectively taken over the slot of the discontinued Dadar-Ratnagiri Passenger, which now starts from Diva.

In a letter to Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, the Konkan Vikas Samiti stated that long-distance train passengers from areas such as Parel, Dadar, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander, Virar, Vasai, Ghatkopar, Thane, and Kalwa face significant hardship in accessing Diva, as the only available mode of connectivity is through already overcrowded suburban local trains.

“Even daily office commuters with minimal baggage struggle to board these trains during peak hours. Under such circumstances, it becomes extremely difficult for passengers travelling with heavy luggage, senior citizens, women with children, and families to endure the rush merely to reach Diva for boarding or alighting. The termination of Train No 50104 at Diva has led to near-stampede conditions at the station, as all passengers are compelled to disembark there,” read this letter.

A member of the association said nearly 50% of passengers using the Diva–Ratnagiri service would have continued to Thane or Dadar if the train had been extended.

“This concentration of passengers at Diva poses serious safety risks and causes avoidable inconvenience,” said Akshay Mahapadi, member of the Konkan Vikas Samiti. “This passenger train was among the first to Konkan that halts at 39 stations; other express trains don’t have so many halts.”

On Friday, Central Railway officials reiterated that the decision to shift the Ratnagiri-bound passenger service to Diva had been explained in 2020. “While crossing at Diva to join the main line, the passenger train delayed six to seven suburban services, apart from those affected by the Diva level-crossing gate, leading to delays of six to 10 minutes,” a spokesperson said. “The Dadar-Gorakhpur train has been operational for almost three years now. There is no change in operations except the change of number and status as a regular train.”

Another official said the Gorakhpur train’s timings were finalised in coordination with multiple railway zones, unlike the Konkan service, which operates within Maharashtra.

“The timetable takes minute-by-minute detailing before finalising a route. This Gorakhpur-bound train passes through multiple cities and many states, which are operated by other railway zones. Also, it halts at Kalyan after Dadar, which doesn’t impact the suburban trains much,” said the official.

There are no operational constraints on trains heading towards Nagpur or Pune, and the proposed Dadar-Gorakhpur service will not affect the punctuality of the city’s local trains, the official added.