Agar rickshawalle motormen bann gaye toh...

Meaning: If auto rickshaw drivers became motormen of Mumbai local trains.

Meri Marzi!!!

• You want to go to Goregaon from Churchgate. But they will refuse to go citing it's a short distance. They have higher (or rather longer) aims... at least Nallasopara. 

• You punch a valid Rs 10 coupon for your destination. But they refuse to let you board the train. They say, "At least pay half return fare since no one boards the train for the reverse direction."

• It's raining cats and dogs and tigers. You try to reach your destination Kharghar asap. 17 trains pass Kurla station, none halts. Why? Well, they just don't feel like ferrying you. For them, it's the best opportunity and way to harass the bechaara public.

•  832 people are standing to board a train from platform number 1 of Wadala station. But only one is allowed to board the train. Why? Sharing nahi chalega!!!

• You board a train from Churchgate to Bandra. These are the stations you see -  Charni Road, Grant Road, Sandhurst Road, Dockyard Road, Raey Road, Currey Road, Wadala Road, Elphinston Road and Matunga Road. Why? Road pe ghuma raha hai... ab extra fare bharo!!!

Disclaimer: Not all Mumbai rickshaw drivers are rude / inconsiderate / mean. But quite a few are.
At 10 pm tonight, I had to stand by the road during heavy rains, without any umbrella / wind cheater / shelter, when no rickshaw driver agreed to ferry me to my house 15 mins away. One even asked for a fixed higher illogical fare. I stood there helpless, furious and desperate while as always the auto rickshaw drivers ruled the roads. Not that this happened for the first time, but I had to write... eventually.

Thank God for the train services. Hope no such rickshawallah ever becomes a motorman.

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Grant Road taken for granted as train misses station!

Gone are the days when Mumbai commuters used to miss their train. Trains are missing stations now!

On Tuesday, May 24 2011, a 12-coach Virar fast train from Churchgate almost skipped Grant Road station. Now as always in such cases, there are several versions of the story. While some say that the train stopped after two coaches left the platform, others claim that as many as seven coaches missed the station.

Motormen have been complaing about stress for long and we even read the story about sun glare in their cabins obstructing the view. While commuters woes include things like getting late for work to chances of getting injured if someone jumps off the train.

But the, here's a lighter side to the local trains skipping stations:
Next time you are late to work, instead of giving an excuse that the train was late, you can simply say that the train never came!!!

Info source: TOI

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Mumbai local train motormen to operate empty stomach

RememberWR and CR motormen were all set to go on a strike on 26th January 2010 (read about it here) when the authorities assured them that their demands will be considered? The strike was called off at the last minute (read about this here) so that we commuters don't suffer. It's been 3 months and the motormen's issues aren't resolved yet! It seems that there has not been a single meeting about this. 

Helpless motormen now have come up with a new decision - to operate the WR and CR local trains on empty stomach from Monday, May 3! 

With lakhs of commuters dependent on the motormen, this sure is a cause for concern.The demands of the motormen are pending since a really long time. One of the demands is the inclusion of an assistant motorman on every train. And considering yesterday's news about the Dead Man's Handle, this demand has to be met, right?

God knows when will our systems get over with postponing things for ever! Coz it's always said "We are looking into the matter"! What do you think?

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Mumbai trains' motormen taking a huge risk!

MID DAY REPORT: Mumbai local train motormen flout safety norms

Can't believe the above report is true. But it seems that some motormen are flouting a seriously important rule. They are supposed to hold the Dead Man's Handle when the train is in motion or halts at any station but are instead locking it up to the mike! It might be 'highly inconvenient', but then aren't they aware of it before taking up the job? Wonder what's the solution?

What is Dead Man's Handle (DMH):
By definition, Dead Man's Handle (DMH) is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated.

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WR motormen, guards refuse to wear uniforms

Western Railway guards and motormen are refusing to wear uniforms. And if we think from their point of view, in a way it's justified. After all, when there are problems at stations due to train delays or rail roko, these motormen and the guards have to bear the brunt of the angry junta / protesters. In absence of railway authorities at the scene, the motormen and guards are easily identifiable and end up suffering even when they are not at fault.

Though there must be reasons why uniforms are necessary in certain professions, I think security of the personnel should be the priority. What do you think?

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Motormen strike status: 26th January strike called off

Here's some respite for Mumbai local train commuters! The motormen have called off the 26th January strike after receiving assurance that their demands will be considered. Yes!!! The strike now stands cancelled!

The railways had issued an ad in the newspapers on Monday requesting the people to cooperate during the strike and had even made arrangements to ensure the safety of motormen not participating in the strike. Read about it here.

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It’s not a strike? Local trains running late, NDTV website has a different story

Alright, while the other news channels and websites are talking about motormen going on strike due to various issues, NDTV says the trains are late due to a different reason. Well, if you know the truth, do let us know.
DNA
ZEE News
SamayLive
Rediff

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Central Railway motormen strike update; Trains running late

Motormen strike update: Trains are currently running 20-40 minutes late (on 26th October 2009, at 4 pm).

If you have the latest update, do let us know.

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Trains strike: Central Railway motormen on strike; local train services affected

Mumbai's Central Railway motormen have gone on strike today (26th October, 2009). The strike started on Monday afternoon and many trains were seen stationed between CST and Byculla stations.

As per reports, 140 trains are cancelled. Talks are in progress and apparently motormen are refusing to do overtime. As per Zee News, motormen are protesting lack of action against the guilty in the Thane bridge collapse incident wherein a pipeline fell on a moving train that led to the death of a motorman and 2 others.

There wasn’t any strike when we left for work in the morning. Now that we are already at our workplaces, the motormen decided to go on strike. Wondering if the strike continues how would the local train commuters reach home. As if the Thane train accident (23rd October, 2009) following the pipeline falling on the train was not enough to make poor commuters suffer!

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