Lakhs of commuters from Diva facing crushing peak-hour crowds have been dealt another setback, with the railway administration expressing its inability to introduce a direct Diva–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) local, citing the absence of the required terminating platform infrastructure.
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Patil said he pointed out how the suburb’s commuter population has risen sharply in recent years, but services have not kept pace, resulting in severe crowding during peak hours. “The railways said starting direct services wasn’t possible as Diva station lacked the terminating platform required to operate suburban services on the slow and fast lines. The request was disposed of without a commitment to infrastructure upgrades or interim relief,” Patil said. Meanwhile, Siddhesh Desai of the Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh, who has been pushing for Kalwa locals in the morning, said trains arriving from Dombivli were often packed beyond capacity, leaving little room for passengers at Kalwa and Diva to board. We will escalate the matter through elected representatives and seek the Railway Ministry’s intervention,” Patil said.
Thane: Lakhs of commuters from Diva facing crushing peak-hour crowds have been dealt another setback, with the railway administration expressing its inability to introduce a direct Diva–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) local, citing the absence of the required terminating platform infrastructure. The response came after Diva-based activist Ananda Patil approached the Central Govt’s Public Grievance Portal in August, flagging overcrowding and the risk of accidents and serious injuries, pointing out the risks undertaken by local commuters. Starting additional services from here, he argued, could help ease the pressure. Activists now plan to approach local MPs and MLAs to take the issue to Railway Ministry. “Repeated representations over the past eight to ten years have produced no concrete results. Download the TOI App.
Many commuters often leave home earlier to avoid the rush-hour crowd and avoid falling off trains.
However, the administration expressed its inability to start the services, citing infra inadequacies, but forwarded the request to the Mumbai division to consider the possibility in future.
A viral video recently showed a woman fall off a stationary local between Diva and Mumbra, while earlier visuals of women hanging precariously on the footboard on the stretch have already gone viral, attracting notable attention from activists.
Not content, the activist said he approached the Central Railway afresh in September with the demand for Diva locals, following which the administration responded last week but sadly reiterated the inability to oblige the demand.