Commuters traveling on Central Railway (CR) line are very well acquainted with this announcement- “9:16 am CSTM fast local is running late, we are sorry for the inconvenience.” This very announcement discourages you from boarding any local on the CR line.
For the last few months, there have been very few times when the CR locals have run on time. Otherwise, they always run late.
According to the CR officials, the real reason for delayed trains is less number of motormen. On a daily basis, 1,732 locals run on CR line and they are manned by only 604 motormen when the railway authorities have approved for 834 motormen.
Due to the dearth of motormen, the latter have to work double shifts. This has triggered an unrest amongst motormen who are likely to go on strike.
It takes 10-15 years for an assistant driver to become a motorman. Also, now all locals have advanced technology. Motorman should be an engineer and he should have all the knowledge of the same. Along with this, motormen should be mentally fit. A lot of motormen fail in this very test. The state should take some firm steps for appointing motormen,” Yashwant Jogdev, Railways analyst.
Every motorman roughly works for 16 hours a day who has to keep an eye on passengers who cross the tracks, signal, and platform as well.
This is not only about motormen but also about 80 lakh commuters who travel. For any untoward incidents, we blame motormen but we fail to see their stress. Their overtime should be stopped,” Subhash Gupta, President, Railway Pravasi Sanghatna.
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