Usual Western Eailway commuters had a harrowing time on Sunday for five hours, as train services had been suspended till 3.45 pm, with alternate transportation like taxis and autorickshaws either refusing fares or fleecing them. Local trains were shut down till the evening due to the mega block the Western Railway undertook to convert the DC traction to the AC system between Churchgate and Andheri.
Traffic snarls were reported at SV Road and on the Western Express Highway throughout the morning and afternoon. “It took me 35 minutes in heavy traffic to reach Cadell Road from LJ Road in Mahim. I did not get a taxi for 20 minutes and had to walk a long distance to get one,” said Bandra resident Ishita Satpathy (28). The Id-Milad procession at Mahim further aggravated the traffic snarls.
At Mumbai Central, certain taxi drivers were only plying on share-a-taxi basis to reach Churchgate and were charging `50 for a seat. Waits for autos too seemed to be interminable. “I came to Andheri station and had to wait for 45 minutes for an auto to Bandra. Buses so packed that getting in was impossible and there were several passengers stranded at Andheri railway station,” said commuter Sujit Sharma.
“The block between Churchgate and Andheri started at 10.30 am and concluded at 3.45 pm, ahead of the scheduled completion at 4.30 pm,” said Sharat Chandrayan, chief public relations officer, Western Railway.