Central Railway Launches Two New Trains for Essential Workers Between Thane and Vashi

Central Railway (CR) announced two new trains for essential workers that went operational starting Monday. The authorities announced that the new trains will run between Thane and Vashi railway stations as part of the trans-harbour line.

Clarifying who these services are meant for, Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway said - “These services are not for the general public. Only essential staff as identified by the state government will be permitted to travel by these selected suburban services.”

Western Railway currently has 202 local trains operating specifically for essential workers of Mumbai, while the zonal railway is handling a total of 352 train services between its main lines, harbour lines, as well as the trans-harbour lines.  

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As for the schedule of the newly announced trains, operations will start at 7:30 AM daily from Thane railway station which will then arrive at Vashi at 8 AM. The second train will leave from Vashi at 4:30 PM and reach Thane by 5 PM. It is said that the trains will halt at railway stations like Rabale, Koparkhairane, Turbhe, and Sanpada on the way. 

Though Central Railway is doing all it can for essential workers, the agency was recently found to have denied salary for 800 of its employees in the month of May. Union leaders mentioned that since transportation wasn’t available, the workers were unable to travel to their respective locations. This has severely impacted labourers and workers across the city. 

The Supreme Court recently passed a judgment stating that private companies cannot be coerced to pay full wages to its staff during the lockdown period. This came in response to a notification filed by the Central Government asking private employers to pay their employees’ wages in full for the lockdown period. The Supreme Court also asked the Centre to look into cases of doctors undergoing pay cuts across the country. 

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