Residents demand MEMU local train services between Thane and Pune, Nashik

Commuters from various suburbs in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district have urged railway authorities to introduce MEMU Mainline Electric Multiple Unit local train services on the NashikTitwala and PuneAmbernath routes citing the growing need for improved rail connectivity in these regionsAccording to PTI a delegation representing the residents recently submitted a memorandum to railway officials highlighting the urgent demand for better transportation facilities The delegation has argued that the increasing population and rising number of daily commuters necessitate the introduction of a direct MEMU train service on these routesSpeaking to reporters on Wednesday a member of the delegation emphasised the challenges faced by passengers due to the lack of direct train connectivity Many commuters currently have to rely on multiple modes of transport including longdistance trains and road travel which adds to their daily commute time and expensesAs per PTI reports the delegation has also backed its demand with a technical feasibility report prepared by a railway official a few years ago This report they claim demonstrates that a 16coach MEMU train service can be effectively operated on these routes without significant infrastructural changesFurthermore the delegation pointed out that despite technical and logistical concerns the Vande Bharat Express which is wider than MEMU trains successfully operates in the Western Ghats section They argued that if a highspeed train like Vande Bharat can navigate these routes safely then MEMU services should also be viableDahanu MEMU train back on trackWestern Railway commuters have got their longmissed Dahanu MEMU train back and cannot thank General Manager Alok Kansal enough Commuter association members said that the train was restored within four hours of their meeting him and their monthsrsquo long struggle to get it restored has ended making life easy for several thousands of commutersldquoThe COVID19 pandemic has been very difficult for commuters who have been staying in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR and beyond Local trains had been opened for the fully vaccinated earlier but not the MEMU trains which are a crucial link for east west and longdistance connectivity After much convincing the Maharashtra government and railways had restored MEMU services last monthend but those were limited to MMR and services plied between Panvel and Vasairdquo Hitesh Save spokesperson of Dahanu Vaitarna Pravasi Sevabhavi Sanstha DVPSS told middayThankful to KansalldquoThe problem remained for commuters beyond Vasai as a number of industries and working population had to go to places like Boisar and restoring trains all the way to Dahanu was very important Due to limited road and rail connectivity beyond that it was proving to be very difficult for commuters to travel beyond Vasai and we had been trying quite hard to get the train restored till Dahanu We had hopes from the WRrsquos top boss the general manager and hence took a delegation to him on Thursday To our surprise he called up officials and by the time we reached home the official notification of the restoration of the train had been released We are really thankful to Kansalrdquo Himanshu Vartak member of DVPSS saidldquoWe have met many authorities in past four years but no one has acted on our demands so fast Kansal has also assured us that he will look into other demands made notes on them and asked his team to submit status reports and was also positive about restoration of halts at Palghar He said that he was personally looking into them Vartak who is also the consultative committee member for Palghar station saidWestern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Sumit Thakur said passenger convenience has been a priority and they have been doing whatever is possible given the limitations within regulationsPlastic waste turned into benchesThe Western Railway has recycled plastic collected from its premises and turned it into sturdy benches and installed them at suburban stationsldquoThese benches are made from the collection of plastic waste at stations during drives These are made from postconsumer multilayer packets MLPs commonly known as plastic bags The process involves shredding MLPs into small pieces heating them in an oven and cooling them to form boards These boards are then cut into desired size and shapes Almost 40 to 50 kg of soft plastic goes into the making of one bench These seats are waterproof and ideal for outdoor locationsrdquo WR CPRO Sumit Thakur said