Mumbai: The Indian rail budget has been welcomed with mixed feelings with Mumbaikars, who constitute 50 per cent of India's daily rail commuters, wishing there was more in stock for Mumbai and Maharashtra.
In what is described as a populist and West Bengal-centric budget, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday announced Mumbai's suburban services to be augmented by 101 additional services that will be introduced with 32 services in the Thane/Kalyan to Kasara/Kasara/Khopoli route, 16 services on the Central Railway's Main line, 18 on the Harbour line and 35 services on trans-Harbour line. "Additional services will certainly help in reducing the number of passengers per coach but several promises made in the past, like AC class for suburban trains by 2012, still remain unfulfilled," says Ravi Gopal, a Western Railway commuter.
Former Railway Minister Ram Naik told Gulf News he was pleased that there was no hike in passenger fares or freight rates as the latter would have definitely hit people already suffering under the burden of escalating food prices. However, "I am disappointed that the Rs40 billion-Mumbai Urban Transport Project [MUTP] that I had initiated and was to be completed in 2007 still remains unfinished. This is because of neglect by former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav." He says. With Banerjee stating that the MUTP-I would be completed by the end of this year and MUTP-II targeted for completion in March 2014, Naik is concerned about further delays in rail projects that would only increase the suffering of daily commuters in overcrowded trains.
New trains
In comparison, Dr S.J. Garg, vice-president of Railway Passenger and Traffic Relief Association, describes it as a "mamata-bhara" (lovable) budget. "She has given the city 101 suburban trains, 117 new trains for the country, four Duronto non-stop trains from Mumbai to Secunderabad, Ernakulam, Indore and Jaipur and one from Pune to Howrah. Another important step is conducting surveys to link and Churchgate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and Nashik and Dhanu Road. What we specially like are the 10 Bharat Tirth specials which take passengers to pilgrim centres."
Mumbai residents have also welcomed the Mumbai-Shirdi Intercity Express (tri-weekly) and Haridwar-Mumbai CST services that would be a boon to pilgrims. For women commuters who have been demanding additional ladies specials have welcomed the Matribhoomi specials on the Thane-Vashi and Panvel-Nerul-Thane sectors.
The budget also promises security of women passengers to be improved by raising 12 companies of women Railway Police Force personnel to be named Mahila Vahini.
