New Vande Bharat on Mum-Jalna route triggers Kalyan-Kasara-Karjat local train passengers

The demand for more train services on the Kalyan-Kasara and Karjat stretch in Mumbai is growing as commuters struggle with overcrowding and delays. The launch of the new Mumbai-Jalna Vande Bharat Express has sparked anger among passengers who feel their needs are being ignored. Passenger associations have sent a scathing email to the railway authorities questioning the need for the new train and demanding more local services instead. The Central Railway has changed the timings of local trains to accommodate the Vande Bharat Express, causing further disruptions for commuters.

Mumbai: As commuting via local trains is becoming a nightmare for nearly eight lakh passengers of Kalyan-Kasara and Karjat due to frequent delays and overcrowding, demand for more train services on this stretch gets louder. However, passengers say their plight is least of concern for the railway authorities who are busy with big-ticket projects.

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The trigger point for commuters is the launching of the new Mumbai-Jalna Vande Bharat Express which will run from January 1 on the route. The train will cross Kalyan junction where most of the commuters struggle to board locals due to overcrowding. The passengers say they are being treated like an afterthought.

The Kalyan-Kasara Karjat Railway Passengers Association have sent a scathing email to Central Railway (CR) and the Railway Board questioning them over starting the sixth Vande Bharat train over Central Railway. The email titled ‘New Vande Bharat Express Train on CSMT-Jalna’ was sent to the rail ministry to clarify the need for this Vande Bharat train at the cost of suburban local trains. “Passenger associations have been struggling for the last 8 years to increase the frequency of trains on the Kalyan-Kasara and Kalyan-Karjat lines to reduce crowds, prevent accidents and hassle-free local train journeys. Can someone from the Railway Board justify this,’ reads the email.

The railway passenger associations claim that the citizens residing in these parts of Mumbai’s metropolitan region are upset with the new Mumbai-Jalna Vande Bharat trains as they have been demanding more local trains which the authorities have denied citing no space to add more services. On December 11, Hindustan Times reported about the difficulties faced by people taking the trains to commute from these far-off suburbs beyond Kalyan in the article ‘Commuter woes sour Karjat-Kasara residents’ dream’.

“Every time we ask the Central Railway administration to add more services on the Kalyan-Kasara/Karjat routes; they give the reason for congestion on these routes and the present rail traffic is more than the capacity due to availability of only two rail lines. We fail to understand how new Vande Bharat trains are managed to be operated on the same congested network?” questioned Rajesh Gangav, president of, the Kalyan Kasara Karjat Railway Passengers Association.

The Central Railway will carry out the maiden run of train number 20706 Mumbai-Jalna Vande Bharat from January 1 wherein this train will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 1.10pm and arrive Jalna on the same day at 8.30pm. Likewise, train number 20705 Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat will depart Jalna at 5.05am and arrive at CSMT at 11.55am on the same day. This train having 1 AC Executive Class and 7 AC Chair Cars has been given halts at Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Nashik Road, Manmad and Aurangabad.

For operating these Vande Bharat trains, the CR has even changed the timings of local trains which will be delayed to accommodate them. This train’s timetable might impact the timings of 19 other trains including six suburban trains. Sources said that local trains to Kasara, Badlapur, Asangaon and Titwala will be affected by three to five minutes while the overall impact could be anywhere between 3 mins to 85 mins. Presently 152 services run between Kalyan-Kasara and 242 services operate on Kalyan-Karjat sections that ferry 6-8 lakh daily commuters on these routes by the Central Railway.

“The railways always give priority to operations of long-distance trains while suburban local trains are ignored. When the railway administration claims that there is congestion on the train’s path on the Kalyan-Kasara/Karjat route; how is it that they can introduce the new Vande Bharat train now? In the last few months, we have attended meetings with the railway officials here; all that they are interested in is to improve sources of revenue,” said Jitendra Vishe, vice president, Upnagriya Rail Pravasi Mahasangh.

On December 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express connecting the Marathwada city with the state capital. It started its inaugural run from Jalna, at 12.12 pm, and reached the CSMT at 6.55 pm. It was among the six new Vande Bharat Express trains flagged off by PM Modi. The Jalna-Mumbai train is Maharashtra’s seventh Vande Bharat service, six of which are operated on the Central Railway network, and fifth Vande Bharat service connecting Mumbai.