Mumbai Local Trains Face Brief Halt As Unions Protest At CSMT During Peak Hour

Mumbai local train services were halted for a short period during peak hours after railway union members staged a flash strike at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

The primary reason for the protest was to oppose the First Information Report or an FIR that was filed against a railway engineer in connection with a recent accident case.

The demonstration, which caused disruptions across the vital Mumbai suburban network, lasted for approximately one hour according to PTI.

The union then called off the protest, allowing services to return to normal operation. Consequently, local trains resumed full service after the peak-hour disruption.

Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told PTI that the employees protesting at CSMT, where daily passenger footfall touches several lakhs, did not allow motormen and train managers to operate trains between 5.50 pm and 6.45 pm.

Commuters filled the CSMT premises as they waited for train services to resume. Several of them rushed to the Metro-3 station in the vicinity.

“A friend from the UK is here, and we wanted to board a local train. We came out of the CSMT after waiting for trains to start for nearly 20 minutes,” said Anshuman R, a Thane resident.

The protesters were pacified and local train services resumed after about an hour, said Nila.

The Government Railway Police have registered an FIR against two railway engineers in the June 9 Mumbra train accident, which claimed five lives.

The GRP action prompted the National Railway Mazdoor Union and Central Railway Mazdoor Union to stage the protest on Thursday, demanding the FIR be revoked.

The probe into the June 9 Mumbra train accident, which claimed five lives, has found that railway staffers had replaced a piece of track involved in the incident four days prior to it, but left it unwelded, which resulted in the tragedy.

(With inputs from PTI)