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Mumbai News: Central Railway’s Sector-Wise Local Train Proposal Sparks Outrage Among Commuters; Officials Call It ‘Impractical’

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Mumbai: A controversial proposal by the Central Railway’s (CR) Mumbai division to overhaul the suburban railway system by segregating it into sector-wise corridors—akin to metro train operations—has ignited widespread backlash from commuters and railway officials alike.

Originally presented to the Railway Minister last year, the proposal aims to increase suburban train frequency to one every three minutes during peak hours by dividing the existing network into eight operational corridors.

These would include routes such as CSMT-Thane (slow), Thane-Kalyan (slow), Kalyan-Kasara (slow), CSMT-Kalyan (fast), CSMT-Panvel (slow), Belapur-Uran (slow), and Thane-Nerul/Vashi (slow), among others.

Although the presentation claims that this move could transform Mumbai’s local train operations, a fierce debate has erupted over the practicality of the leaked proposal.

“This proposal is unadulterated absurdity. The person who prepared it has no idea about Mumbai and has clearly never used the Mumbai suburban network as a means of transport for work,” said former General Manager of Central Railway, Subodh Jain

According to a senior CR official, who declined to be named, “The plan may look good on paper, but in reality, it’s completely impractical. It would involve mass transhipment of passengers at busy junctions like Thane and Kalyan—already under tremendous pressure.”

“Catching one train itself is a big hassle—now imagine the inconvenience of changing 3 to 4 trains in a single journey and the extra time lost at each station,” said a senior Central Railway officer.

“The crowding at transhipment stations will be unimaginable. Passengers who manage to get a seat in the first train will likely lose it in the connecting train, as those already standing will rush to board first.”

The elaborate plan (FPJ has a copy) involves running services sector-wise — with the first sector operating only between CSMT and Thane on the slow line, the second sector covering CSMT to Kalyan on the fast line, and the third sector managing operations between Thane and Kalyan on the slow corridor, as well as Kalyan to Kasara and Kalyan to Karjat.

While the presentation made by the Mumbai Division under the leadership of the then Divisional Railway Manager, Rajnish Goyal, claims that sector-wise operations could boost efficiency and frequency, even internal voices remain skeptical.

The concerns are not just logistical but also practical—crowding at transhipment points, loss of seating priority, added travel time, and passenger confusion could worsen the already strained infrastructure.

Sources within CR have hinted that the proposal may have been “deliberately leaked” this week, rekindling both internal debates and public scrutiny.

Passengers, who form the backbone of Mumbai’s lifeline, expressed their frustration across social media platforms and in interviews.

Jayant Sathe, a daily commuter from Kalyan, remarked, “Whoever designed this plan clearly doesn’t understand Mumbai’s suburban travel. Changing trains at Thane after boarding from Badlapur? That’s completely unrealistic.”

The proposal has also drawn sharp criticism online. Devesh Tiwari posted on X (formerly Twitter), “This is a stupid plan. It will create horrible bottlenecks at terminal stations. Why can’t CR reduce headway to 120 or 90 seconds during peak hours? It’s simple tech, but there’s zero willpower to implement it.”

Another internet User @warrenbhai added posted on X “Changing and crossing FOBs will be a nightmare. A lot of us catch up on sleep during the long travel. That won’t be possible anymore.”

Another commuter, Kumar Saket, called the proposal the “joke of the month,” while Bharat Soni criticized what he termed the “Reel Minister” for making hollow promises, stating:

“What’s new in promising 3-min frequency? WR already does that. CR used to run locals every 5 minutes up to Kalyan. Try giving us 15-min services up to Kasara and Karjat—that would be actual progress.”

@smartkalyan7 posted on X “Instead of this jumlabazi, build a new line between Kalyan and Borivali. Thousands waste time commuting to the western suburbs via Dadar.”

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Additional manpower to be deployed for birth certificate applications: Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajakta Verma Lovengere

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Mumbai: Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Varmalawangire has directed the deployment of additional manpower to ensure prompt processing of birth certificate applications in areas falling under Zone 5 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) such as Mankhurd, Shivaji Nagar, Kurla and Chembur. He also directed that the working hours of Citizen Facilitation Centres be increased for the approval of these applications. Today (July 25, 2026), Lavangare reviewed the operations of the health department in the administrative wards of Zone 5 at the BMC’s M West Ward Office in Chembur. The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Oghade, Deputy Commissioner (Zone 5) Scindia. Assistant Commissioner (M-East) Ujjwal Angole, Assistant Commissioner (M-West) Shankar Bhosale, and Executive Health Officer (Public Health Department) Dr. Daksha Shah. EML Varad East West wards need more effort to process applications related to birth certificates. Varmalawangire directed that applications should be accepted at the Citizen Facilitation Centres from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM to provide relief to the citizens. He further directed that these centres should remain open on Sundays for the convenience of the public. Assistant Commissioners at the administrative ward level should depute additional manpower to process the applications of the citizens, thus enabling a large number of applications to be processed. Varmalawangire directed that the applications should be processed and resolved within the shortest possible time after they are submitted. Software is being developed by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to handle applications for new birth certificates and corrections in existing ones. The software will facilitate submission of application details and uploading of relevant documents, while it will also include a dashboard. He directed that the software and dashboard be used to ensure maximum transparency in the birth certificate application process. He also directed that applications related to educational matters be given priority. A large number of applications are being submitted for QR code-based birth certificates required for overseas education and visa processing. He directed that these be resolved immediately.
During today’s meeting, Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajakta Vermalongare reviewed the status of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, monsoon-related disease incidents, and capacity expansion and repair works in maternity homes and suburban hospitals. He issued necessary instructions to the health department. The performance of Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital (Saiyan), Govind Shatabdi Hospital, and Maa Hospital (Chembur) was also reviewed. Prajakta Verma-Lawangire directed the department heads to conduct regular reviews to ensure transparency in the functioning of the health administration and prompt resolution of civic issues. He also directed the Assistant Commissioners within the zones to conduct regular site visits.

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Maharashtra

‘Victory celebration’ on students’ victory in Mumbai… Demand for action against policemen who tortured students still incomplete: Uddhav Thackeray

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A victory celebration has been announced in Mumbai for the historic victory of the students. The protest will continue even after the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is met, this stance has been issued by Kakroch Janata Party leader Abhijit Deepke. The victory celebration will now be celebrated with a tricolor march in Mumbai. This was announced by MNS chief Raj Thackeray at a press conference here. He said that now a stage will be prepared near Shivaji Park and the crowd will gather there. There will be no march till Siddhi Vinayak. Raj Thackeray said that this is a big success for the students, this march has been organized to celebrate it. Uddhav Thackeray said that the way Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was accepted, his department was not changed after his resignation, this has not been clarified yet, along with this, the students are not satisfied with the resignation itself, the demand for action against the police personnel and officers who tortured the students by registering a case has not been fulfilled. The way the students were brutalized is completely wrong, but the students were steadfast and not only that, they endured hardships during the protest and this is the reason why the government had to bow down before these students. Uddhav Thackeray said that the way the government thought that it would not bow down before anyone, but the students forced it, a victory celebration will be celebrated in Mumbai to express sympathy with the students and a traditional tricolor rally will be held. Uddhav Thackeray said that a future plan of action should be prepared after talking to Abhijeet Deepika.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Shivaji Park Tricolor March: Important meeting of senior officers with Police Commissioner, police security arrangements tightened, necessary instructions issued

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Mumbai: Police are also ready for the Tricolour rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. To express sympathy with the student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Thackeray brother has organized a Tricolour march in which lakhs of protesters are expected to participate. In such a situation, the police have also claimed to have made strict security arrangements in the area. The police are being vigilant and are monitoring the situation to ensure that no untoward incident occurs during the Tricolour march. Along with monitoring the route for the Tricolour march, a meeting of senior officers including the Additional Police Commissioner was also held today under the chairmanship of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, in which instructions were also issued to ensure security arrangements related to order and protest demonstration. There is a long series of protests at Shivaji Park in Mumbai city. It has also been identified where protesters can gather in Shivaji Park during the Tricolour March in Mumbai city and suburbs. In addition, protests have started across the state. In the case of NET exam paper leak, students have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dhirendra Pradhan and the students are standing by their stand. The police are also on alert due to the Tricolour March in Mumbai city and suburbs. Police deployment has also been ensured on the traffic route during the protest demonstration in Shivaji Park, along with necessary orders have also been issued. The police have taken necessary steps due to the protests of students in Mumbai and the state, along with necessary instructions have also been issued to senior police officers in this regard. It is estimated that students from other areas of Mumbai such as Kurla, Chambor, Byculla, Andheri, Malad Maloni, Jogeshwari and other areas are also participating in the protest. Attempts to disrupt or disrupt the Tricolour March are tolerable. If anyone does so, they will be given a response, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has warned, saying that if there is an attempt to disrupt the situation in Mumbai on the lines of Delhi, it will not be tolerated at all. Protests are ongoing in Mumbai, and the police are also on alert.

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