The Suburban Railway Passenger Federation has opposed the move to halt fast trains at Diva railway station. On January 2, 2015, thousands of Diva commuters had carried out an agitation against the tardy level of suburban commuting services at the rapidly growing station. The politicians of Thane and Dombivali-Kalyan had then raised the demand for stops of fast trains at Diva. The demand was put forth after local politicians conducted a survey, and MP Shrikant Shinde then proposed it to Minister of Railway Suresh Prabhu. However, the federation feels the approval was given to appease the politicians and builders of Diva, and that the move would not help the thousands of commuters. The federation, instead, wants the railway authorities to introduce trains originating from Diva. “We have opposed the halts for fast trains at Diva on both up and down lines. The trains coming from Kalyan and going towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) up line get crowded at Dombivali. The commuters from Dombivali hardly get place to go inside. In this situation, it would be next to impossible for any passenger from Diva to board a fast local,” said Madhu Kotian, president of Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh. santoshee.mishra@expressindia.com
