Railway passengers demand resumption of Kolhapur-Mumbai Sahyadri Express

Kolhapur: Railway passengers from Kolhapur, Miraj and Sangli have threatened protest to demand the reinstatement of the Kolhapur-Mumbai Sahyadri Express service, which was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic period.A special train between Kolhapur and Pune is currently running on the Sahyadri Express schedule, but passengers are being charged fares equivalent to the Kolhapur-Mumbai Mahalaxmi Express, sparking discontent among travelers.Central Railway advisory committee member Shivnath Biyani said, "Sahyadri Express services have remained suspended since Feb 2020. Earlier, Central Railway cited operational losses to keep its service suspended. Last year, a Pune-Kolhapur ‘Special Train on Demand' was started at the same time as the Sahyadri Express."The railway authorities said this train would be expanded to Mumbai, as the Sahyadri Express, once the platform construction works at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai, were completed. "The ticket prices for the Kolhapur-Pune special train are Rs 1,145 for 2-AC, Rs 850 for 3-AC and Rs 310 for sleeper coach. These rates are nearly equal to those of the Kolhapur-Mumbai Mahalaxmi Express (Rs 1,205 for 2-AC, Rs 780 for 3-E, and Rs 315 for sleeper coach). Mahalaxmi Express has a daily waiting list of 400 seats, highlighting the need for the resumption of the Sahyadri Express," Biyani said.The passengers have urged the Central Railway to resume the Sahyadri Express. Nikhil Jadhav, a railway passenger, said, "My hometown is Kolhapur, but I work in Pune. So, I have to travel between the two cities frequently. The ticket prices of the special train between Kolhapur-Pune are very high and almost equal to that of the Vande Bharat train between Kolhapur-Pune. If this train's operation is expanded, to replace Sahyadri Express, the ticket prices will drop by nearly 35-40%."Sahyadri Express was running on the route for the last 30 to 35 years. It used to depart from Kolhapur at 10.50pm and reach Pune around 7.15am, then continue to Mumbai, arriving there around noon. As the timings were very convenient for passengers from Kolhapur to Pune and further from Pune to Mumbai, the train received a good response.A Central Railway official said no decision was made regarding the expansion of the special train to Mumbai.