Tired of getting to work late almost every day because of trains running late, irate passengers staged a protest at the Anekal Road, Heelalige and Carmelaram railway stations on Thursday and stopped a train on the tracks. Consequently, at least two other trains were held up between 9 a.m. and 10.20 a.m.
In total, six trains were delayed because of the protest, South Western Railway officials said.
At Carmelaram station, several vehicle users from surrounding areas, who have been demanding a road over-bridge to bypass the railway crossing, also joined in the protest. The issue of trains running late is nothing new and has, according to passengers, led to several people losing out on work hours as they often reach their workplace more than an hour late.
Letter submitted
“This (trains running late) has resulted in us losing our work hours and ultimately losing part of the salary and even jobs in some cases. We request the Railways to consider operating the trains on time and do the needful to convey to the higher authorities to work on doubling the track,” read a letter written by the protesters and handed over to the authorities at Anekal Road station.
All three stations see a large section of people working in the city using trains to commute to work. Senior railway officials interacted with the striking passengers and vehicle users, and the issue was resolved around 10.20 a.m., following which operations resumed on the line.
“I know people who reach their office one hour late and are issued memos for it. These trains, especially the passenger trains, cannot be relied upon at all and if we want to reach somewhere on time, taking our vehicle out is the only option,” said Rajesh, a regular passenger.
The issue has found large-scale support online. “We have trains, we have stations, we have the people to take trains that are far more convenient. All we need is to get the punctuality (sic) and increase the train frequency on this track. This will help 14 lakh people as this is the only track that connects all the major IT parks and also has connectivity to three metro stations,” said a post on the NammaCityExpress Facebook group.
This article has been corrected for a factual error.
The copy earlier said angry motorists stopped train, whereas passengers stopped the train and motorists joined later.
