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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Why was the card ticket system replaced?

Guest article by my school friend Suresh Vishwanathan:

Computerisation is the new age mantra. But does not fit in certain areas. And one of them is the replacement of the card ticket with the computerised one for local train travel... Man what a snooze fest it is!

The queues which used to disappear in minutes now never seem to move. Include the slow typing speed or the dot matrix printer of the 80s, purchasing ticket is a headache now.

ROLL-PLAY: If you are about to get the ticket and the paper roll comes to an end then... less said the better....the choiciest abuses run through your mind. And the time taken to replace it seems like ages!

IS PUNCHING BETTER? And in between all those there are people extending their hands inside the counter (that includes me sometimes) asking for coupons... after all puching coupons saves time and  allows you to break the line... why not have another counter just for coupons and AVTM recharges and spare the misery of others?

Don't know why such simple things don't get a thought...

You may also like other guest articles on this site:
Guest Article: Music On Rails 

Safar ya suffer?

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TV in trains post featured in DNA

I couldn't have asked for more today! Yesterday, the Facebook page of Mumbai Local Trains touched the 100 likes mark and today DNA featured one of the recent articles on the site!

I can't thank Sudakshina enough to inform me about this early in the morning. While my fever topped with ankle sprain brought a definite frown on my face in the morning, her call converted it into a smile! And it gave me the strength to write about all this (alright, brag ;))

So, DNA has shared the entire post TV in Mumbai local trains! What about Video-Coaches? on page 6 of May 23, 2011. And this time, they have given the link of this site unlike the previous time when they accredited a story to a site from where they got the feed :)

Thank you readers for staying aboard! Look forward to more updates, timetables and opinions related to Mumbai local trains on this site.

Similar stories: 
My interview at MetroTwin website!

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Mega Block Timings on Sunday, May 22

Like most Sundays, Central Railway will have a mega block on May 22, 2011. Here are the mega block timings when the local train services will be affected:

Matunga to Mulund: The slow trains leaving Matunga station between 10.33 am to 3.59 pm will be diverted on the fast track and and will stop at Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup and Mulund stations. Slow trains (down) will not stop at Vidyavihar, Kanjurmarg and Nahur stations during this period.

Tip on how to reach these stations during mega block: You can reach these three stations on your valid tickets as follows:

1. Vidyavihar - Get off at Ghatkopar station and take the up line (reverse direction i.e. CST train).
2. Kanjurmarg - Get off at Bhandup station and take the up line (reverse direction i.e. CST train).
3. Nahur - Get off at Mulund station and take the up line (reverse direction i.e. CST train).

However, up harbour line services from Vashi station to Kurla station will be suspended from 10.21 am to 4.16.

Similarly, down harbour line services from Kurla to Vashi from 10.38 am to 4.08 pm will be suspended.

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TV in Mumbai local trains! What about Video-Coaches?

If you did not find the ever-increasing crowd, the swear words, the gossip, the lies and the dhakka-mukki in Mumbai local trains entertaining enough, you have now a reason to smile... or that's what the railway authorities think.

So we hear that CR will install TVs on Mumbai local trains. Yes, yes, you read it right. Guess what you will get to watch while travelling (assuming that the television stay in working condition for at least 15 days... we know about the working condition of indicators, coupon validating machines and all the electronic items railways ever installed!) - Charlie Chaplin, News, Sensex and Cricket Scores!

If this works out, should we believe that this will be the end of the 'video-coach' era (yes, we gals know about it!)? Nah, I don't think so.

After all, men will be men and railways will be railways and miscreants will be miscreants. 

Men will be men: Some men... alright most men... travelling in local trains can never stop making the women feel uncomfortable. The police constables, whenever they are present in the ladies compartments, have mastered the art of turning a blind eye when those wide-and-bulging-eyed perverts stare and pass comments on women in the adjacent compartment through the much-hated jaali-waali-khidki that 'separates' a gents' compartment from the ladies' coach. So the shows on the television screens in suburban trains will never be able to take over the 'video-coach' TRPs.

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You know you are in a Mumbai local train when...
'Maine ticket khareeda hai, main raja jaise baithunga' types
Reading indicators at Mumbai local train platforms

Railways will be railways: So when was the last time you tried to punch a coupon and were unsuccessful as the machine was out of ink or just didn't click? And when was the last time you headed to end up heading to the ticket counter for that stamp on coupon and were again unsuccessful! Either the stamps aren't there, or the date and time is incorrect! And when you look up at the train's ceiling while trying to breathe, how often do you notice nonoperational fans and thick spiderwebs? And need I mention about the indicators on the harbour line? I wonder how railways will be able to maintain these TV screens.

Miscreants will be miscreants: I appreciate the effort by railways to eliminate the obscene graffiti. But we still have people who spread rubbish in the trains and throw wrappers out of the windows. We still have people who paste those "EARN MONEY FAST" posters on paid-advertisements in trains. Stone-pelting is still an issue. Under these circumstances, we can just hope that the authorities will able to save the television screens from miscreants.

However, when it comes to the effect of these television screens on commuters, there are quite some pros and cons. But more about it later.

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Mega Block Timings on Central Line - May 1, 2011

Mega block between Matunga and Mulund:
Fast trains leaving CST between 9.20 am and 5.44 pm will be diverted on slow line between Matunga and Mulund and will halt at all stations between these stations.

Fast trains leaving Thane between 9.50 am and 5.44 pm will be diverted on slow line between Mulund Matunga and will halt at all stations between these stations.

There is no mega block on harbour line today.

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