Suburban train services hit due to commuter protest

Train services on the Central Railway (CR) were today disrupted for nearly three hours in adjoining Thane district after angry commuters squatted on tracks to protest delay in running of suburban services.
Scores of local train passengers came down on tracks at Titwala station and stopped the services in the early hours, the CR said.
Angry passengers resorted to this agitation to protest delay in running of suburban trains in the last few days, said a senior CR official.
The official said, "Not only suburban services, angry passengers also held up long-distance trains going towards towards Kasara, Igatpuri an Nashik."

A few passengers also barged into the Station Master's office and sought his intervention to ensure punctuality of trains.
Giving the reason for delay in services, the CR, in a statement, said, "The OHE (overhead equipment) repair work was to be carried out on the Kalyan-Kasara section from 03.35 am to 4.40 am. However, this block work got extended and continued up to 5.56 am, resulting in Thane-Asangaon train starting late."
The agitation started at Titwala at around 6 am and continued up to 8.55 am due to which 10 suburban services were affected, said the statement.