Jan 15 target for Panvel-Thane train

Navi Mumbai:  After missing its much touted initial December inaugural run, the Panvel-Thane suburban railway service will now probably be flagged down by mid-January. According to Central Railway (CR) sources, inadequate staff and some incomplete work on the Belapur-Nerul link is reportedly delaying the launch of the service.

Denying any similar situation akin to what happened on the Western railway last Friday because of the motormen's agitation; Shriniwas Mudgerikar, CPRO of CR said that they were just trying to make the situation easier for both the commuters and its staff before starting the service. "We are currently tackling some staff-related issues before we start the service so as to avoid any later inconvenience to the commuters. We will ensure that we have sufficient staff before we start the services," said Mudgerikar.

He also informed that the CR was trying its best to start the service latest by January 15 right from Panvel and not Nerul as planned initially. "We had plans to initially start the services from Nerul to Thane and then from Panvel. However, we are now exploring the possibilities to start services directly to and from Panvel," he said. He also confirmed that some minor work on the realignment of tracks between Nerul and Belapur was to be done, which would clear the decks for starting the new service.

manoj.badgeri@timesgroup.com