Overcrowding at Jogeshwari: Railways shifts local trains

Two days after Western Railway (WR) shut the track crossing at Jogeshwari station, authorities have been finding it difficult to manage the crowd on platforms 1 and 2 and on the foot overbridges (FoBs). To prevent overcrowding, WR on Saturday, decided to operate seven semi-fast locals on platform number 3 and 4, instead of platform number 1 and 2, during peak hours.

Platform number 3 and 4 are wider than platform number 1 and 2 and as a result can accommodate more people. Four Churchgate-bound locals will be operated from platform number 4 instead of platform number 2, while three Virar-bound trains will be operated from platform number 3 instead of platform number 1.

“Owing to excessive crowd on the platforms, we are diverting the train services on a temporary basis. We are also devising methods to reduce crowd on the bridges and the platforms,” said a WR official.

On Thursday morning, WR had closed the track crossing to prevent deaths owing to trespassing on the suburban rail tracks. However, the railways found it difficult to manage the crowd on the narrow entry and exit points of the FoB towards the Churchgate-end, as well as on platform number 1 and 2. Following this glitch, WR decided to divert the semi-fast locals to platform number 3 and 4.

The station has three FoBs – one towards the Churchgate-end, one in the middle and one towards the Virar-end.

While passenger associations have welcomed the railways’ decision to close the track crossing, they have criticised the authorities for not informing passengers beforehand or providing additional infrastructure.

Mansoor Darvesh, secretary, Passenger and Traffic Relief Association (PTRA), said, “The track crossing was shut abruptly without informing passengers, which resulted in the chaos. Railways did not plan ahead to tackle the issue well.”

As chaos prevailed, commuters took to Twitter on Thursday and Friday to complain about the chaos. They tweeted pictures of the overcrowding and asked the railway authorities to immediately intervene.

“Few days before it was near CST. Same can happen at Jogeshwari station. Every day, we are facing lots of problems; sincere request to authorities concerned, pls take necessary action to avoid worst situation @WesternRly @PMOIndia @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc @Dev_Fadnavis,” tweeted @dhonde_mahesh.

First Published: Mar 17, 2019 02:04 IST