The Western Railway (WR) announced on Thursday that it has extended the services of two local trains running between Virar and Dahanu Road, all the way to Churchgate station for essential service workers throughout the city. The WR began operating local trains from June 15 in the suburban parts of Mumbai after being shut due to the coronavirus pandemic since March. The train service started on Friday, and the first locomotive was released at 4.40 AM today.
The WR has also announced changes in the timings of the local train services. As per the revised timings, the first train will depart from Dahanu Road at 4.40 AM and arrive at Churchgate station by 7.15 AM. The next local will depart from Dahanu Road at 5.40 AM and reach Virar at 6.55 AM. Meanwhile, in the Dahanu-direction, the first local from Virar will depart at 4.15 AM and reach Dahanu Road at 5.30 AM. Earlier, the train which originated from Virar to Dahanu road at 9.10 AM, will now depart from Churchgate at 7.40 AM, and reach Dahanu at 10.25 AM.
Several essential workers, especially from the medical and healthcare field, had complained about the earlier train timings. According to their complaints, the earlier train timing would make them late for work and had demanded a change in the local train timetables. Even Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant had raised the same issue. Following the increased complains and demands, the WR eventually announced the revised timings of local trains.
The extended services of two locals and changed timings will benefit employees of essential services from areas of Virar and Dahanu Road, especially with hectic night shifts during the ongoing pandemic. Mumbai has recorded 97,751 Covid-19 cases in total till now, with a death toll of 5,520 across the city.
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