Fully functional 15-car train lies idle in Kalyan yard for 17 hours every day

At a time when lakhs of commuters are packed like sardines in Mumbairsquos overcrowded local trains and Central Railway CR repeatedly claims a shortage of rakes it has come to light that a fully operational 15car local train lies idle in the Kalyan yard for 17 hours and 25 minutes dailyCR sources confirm that of the two 15car rakes currently available one is being optimally utilised making 16 trips daily between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT Dadar and Kalyan The other however is drastically underused with just six trips a dayA troubling timelineThe rake departs from CSMT at 1137 am arrives at Dombivli by 1232 pm and heads to Kalyan yard by 1240 pm mdash only to remain parked for the next 17 hours and 25 minutes until it begins its next service at 614 am the next day from Dombivli to CSMT This massive underutilisation comes even as commuters regularly face stampedelike situations especially between Thane and Kalyan one of the busiest stretches on the CR networkCommuter angerThe revelation has sparked outrage among commuters and passenger associations Lata Argade secretary of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh minced no words ldquoOne rake is doing 16 trips and the other is resting for nearly 18 hours This is criminal negligence Passengers are pleading for relief Why isnrsquot this rake being used during peak hours or at nightrdquoLaxmi Pranesh a traveller who wants more 15car trains on the KalyanThane stretch right Vinay Kadam rail commuter who frequently travels to CSMTShe also questioned the railway administrationrsquos silence after the recent mishap near Mumbra station ldquoWhy hasnrsquot any official been held accountable Where is the transparency We see no urgency from the administrationrdquo she addedGround voicesVinay Kadam who boards a morning train from Kalyan to CSMT at Dombivli station said ldquoThis is the only train I can enter easily because it starts from Kalyan All other fast locals from Badlapur Karjat Ambernath Titwala Asangaon and Kasara that are operated between 720 am and 830 am are impossible to board We badly need more 15car trains starting from KalyanrdquoAnother commuter Laxmi Pranesh a daily traveller on the 725 am 15car local urged swift action ldquoAfter the recent Mumbra incident Railways should immediately add 15car trains on the KalyanThane stretch Even ensuring fast services halt only at Dombivli will provide huge reliefrdquoSimple fix but no willRailway experts say a solution already exists mdash use the idle rake to introduce at least 10 more fast trips between Kalyan and Thane halting only at Dombivli ldquoNo new rakes no major cost no new infrastructure mdash just efficient planning Why is CR ignoring thisrdquo asked a senior suburban rail analyst Additionally running mail and express trains on the 5th and 6th lines during peak hours would free up space for suburban locals mdash a longpending demandPolitics over progressThe KalwaAiroli rail link crucial for decongesting the mainline has been in limbo for nearly a decade Sources blame political interference and slum rehabilitation delays ldquoIf slum issues are stalling the project the arearsquos MP must raise this directly with the railway minister Commuters are losing patiencerdquo said a passenger leaderOuter suburbsBeyond Kalyan commuters from Titwala Badlapur and Ambernath say they feel forgotten With Western Railway operating over 100 15car services many of which start from Andheri the CRrsquos apparent inertia is drawing criticismldquoThey say there are no slots or rakes but new express trains are launched from CSMT all the time Clearly priorities are skewedrdquo a Titwala commuter said Activists argue that unless all MPs from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMRDA come together and raise this issue with the railway minister or the CR general manager commuters will continue to sufferMPrsquos voice neededThis correspondent tried to reach MP Dr Shrikant Shinde who represents the AmbernathKalwa belt and is known for raising railway issues However a response was not received by press time Given Dr Shindersquos influence in railway matters commuters are hopeful he will intervene and press for better use of existing infrastructure especially the underutilised 15car rakeFinal wordMumbairsquos central suburbs are bursting at the seams With rising population and urban sprawl efficient railway operations are no longer optional mdash they are a necessity According to commuters not putting the fully functional 15car rake is not just a planning failure mdash itrsquos a betrayal of the workingclass millions who rely on Mumbairsquos lifelineOfficial SpeakWhen contacted CR Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said ldquoAt present we do not have stabling space at Kurla Kalwa or Sanpada car sheds Currently one 15car rake is stationed overnight at CSMT while the second 15car rake is kept at the Kalyan end for repairs Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation has informed us that stabling facilities at these three car sheds will be ready by the end of 2026 Once that infrastructure is in place we will be in a position to introduce more 15car rake services on the Main Line sectionrdquo