Mumbai train / motormen strike status

Strike update at 6 pm: Strike called off, Mumbai local trains are running now.

170 motormen arrested - IBN Live As per the news, Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) has been imposed on the motormen who are on strike. They have been given three hours to return to work (news published at 1.14 pm).
MNS threatens motormen - NDTV

Earlier post on this blog on Motormen Strike.

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What do Mumbai local train commuters feel like singing today?

Mumbai local train services are severely affected as the motormen strike continues even today. So what songs do Mumbai local train commuters feel like singing while waiting for the trains today?

1. Main toh kab se khadi is paar, ye akhiyaan thakk gayi panth nihaar... aa ja re...
2. Tu chupi hai kahaan, main tadaptaa yahaan
3. Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera... aa aa aa aaja.. aa aa aa aaja... aa aa aa aaja... aa aa aah
4. Jag soona soona laage...
5. Aaja ve mahi tera rasta ho dekh diya
6. Tere bin main yun kaise jiya, kaise jiya tere bin...
7. Bin tere sanam mar mitengey hum, aa meri zindagi... 
8. Aao Na... Aao Na... Aao Na...

By the way, here's the blog post about the motormen strike. You can check out the right hand side column of this page for live twitter updates and status of the motormen strike

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Motormen strike affects Mumbai on 2nd day

As the motormen strike continues on the second day (4th May 2010) in Mumbai, Central Railways has advised people to opt for local trains only if absolutely necessary. Both Western Railway and Central Railway motormen are on indefinite strike since yesterday to protest since their demands are not met.

Apparently only 15-20% local trains are running today, obviously resulting in crowd and irritation at the stations across Mumbai.

What to do if you must travel today: I think it's would be great to leave a bit late from home as well as return late from work. In that case, you'd avoid the peak hour traffic that would be a lot today since many people will travel by road. Try and see if you can travel by sharing cabs, cars and rickshaws since it will result in lesser number of vehicles on road, lesser overall time to commute for all, lesser pollution and lesser expenditure.

Kindly update the status on the comments section for the benefit of fellow commuters.

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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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WR prepares for future flash strikes by motormen

Flash strikes seem to have become the 'in' thing with the motormen. I don't say that their demands are unreasonable. The motormen work with great responsibility on their shoulders and they deserve the best. However, protesting at the cost of commuters' convenience is something very uncalled for. C'mon, during peak hours we travel in Mumbai local trains as if we were in hell. Standing and balancing ourselves in overcrowded trains sometimes on one foot is not a joke.

All we focus on is ensuring that we don't fall off the train.

Flash strikes leave us in a place worse than hell. I'm glad that WR is taking steps to prevent us from being struck by strikes.

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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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Central and western railway prepare for 26th January motormen strike

LATEST STRIKE UPDATE, 25th January, 10:00 pm: The motormen strike has been called off!

25th January 2010: That the motormen of central and western line local trains will be going on strike on 26th January is confirmed. Now with just around 200 motormen working on the Republic Day, disruption of suburban train services and commuter inconvenience is obvious.

Aware of the way people / unions participating in the strike react when trains do not run as per schedule and given the fact that eventually the motormen at work face all the brunt, Central and Western railways are taking several precautionary steps.

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Why are trains late today?

22 January 2010: I reached Navi Mumbai's Seawoods station around 6:30 pm to reach Vashi. An announcement was being made at the station that trains are running late and some provisions are being made to help the commuters.

I browsed through the Internet and discovered the reason for the trains being late. As per some news websites, motormen association of Central Railway went on a strike as the demands of the motormen (drivers) are long pending. The demands include better pay, better working conditions and a weekly off. However,they called off their strike soon with the condition that if their demands are not met,they'll go on strike on 26th January.

News sources: Zee News, SamayLive

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