Railway minister hops on local train, chats with commuters

Mumbai, Sep 13 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday travelled by a local train, the lifeline of lakhs of Mumbaikars, and chatted up with commuters.

Vaishnaw boarded the suburban train at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai at 2.34 pm and alighted at Bhandup station at 3.18 pm after his 27 km-long journey.

Railway officials said Vaishnaw, who was in the city for an awards ceremony, boarded a second class coach of the Ambernath-bound slow local train and got down at Bhandup station.

Vaishnaw is also visiting a Ganesh mandal in the city during the ongoing Ganesh festival, an official said.

Central Railway General Manager Dharam Veer Meena and other senior officials accompanied Vaishnaw during the train journey.

Vaishnaw had travelled by a local train between Thane and Diva stations on the Mumbai suburban rail network in February 2022 for inspection of two additional railway lines, and had eaten ‘vada pav’, a popular snack, at a roadside eatery during that visit, officials said.