Trains arrived late as BJP workers made unscheduled stops: WR officials

Several trains arrived late after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, being ferried in special services for the party’s Foundation Day rally at BKC, insisted on unscheduled halts en route, said Western Railway (WR) officials. “The trains were three hours late from Parbani. We reached Thane late and were ferried by BEST buses directly to the rally spot,” said Dyaneshwar Rawat, a supporter.

The BJP had chartered 28 trains, with 11 of them terminating on WR and 17 on Central Railway (CR), said officials. When The Asian Age contacted Ravinder Bhaskar, official spokesperson from WR, he said, “No other trains were delayed on Friday. Everything was on time. Special trains were provided and the stops for such trains are always as per the demand.” However, BJP workers alleged that their trains were late by two to five hours as the Railways did not run them on priority: Motorists, too, had a tough time during the morning rush hour, especially on the arterial Western Express High-way between Andheri and Bandra, as party workers coming in for the rally by road contributed to massive traffic snarls.