Central Railway has permanently cancelled age-old express trains like Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express and Godavari Express, confirmed officials and added that low patronage and presence of other trains on the route were among key reasons. The move comes as a part of the larger plan to streamline services.

The railways said that after trains had been shut during COVID-19 lockdown, Indian Railways took a policy decision to work out a plan to streamline services nationwide. “The idea was to restart train operations in a fresh manner with a clean slate and with the help from IIT-Bombay, it has worked out a zero-based timetable (ZBTT). The timetable, though beneficial at a macro level, has led to cancellation of many traditional services and even halts to speed up trains.”