WR motormen’s protest called off

Western Railway motormen, who were protesting from Tuesday alleging that the selection process for trainers was corrupted, withdrew their protest on Thursday around 7pm, after WR promised a probe into the complaints.

Western Railway motormen, who were protesting from Tuesday alleging that the selection process for trainers was corrupted, withdrew their protest on Thursday around 7pm, after WR promised a probe into the complaints.

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For the last two days, commuters on the Churchgate-Virar stretch were inconvenienced due to delayed suburban trains. The situation normalized after the protest was called off.

The Western Railway Motormen’s Association (WRMA) had a meeting with the WR administration on Thursday were it was decided that their allegations would be looked into.

Sources said nearly 40 services were cancelled during the protest, and trains were running late by 10-15 minutes.“There was no delay in services and trains have been running fine,” said chief public relations officer, Sharat Chandrayan.

Under the ‘work to rule’ agitation, motormen were maneuvering the trains at not more than 10 kmph while entering terminating platforms and those having dead ends, and at 10-15 kmph at curvatures along the 60km route when visibility is affected.

“We follow all the rules specified by the railway board and there is no misconduct. Yet we are looking at the allegations,” said a senior official. On June 15, the administration stated in a letter to WRMA that a three-member committee of officers has been nominated to examine the complaints.