Sena MP seeks refund or extension of local train passes

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai has demanded that the Railways give a refund to local train pass holders in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) or extend their travel period on the resumption of services.

In a letter to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday, Desai said the majority commuters in Mumbai and suburbs take a monthly or quarterly railway pass since it is financially viable.

“The commuters are middle-class people with a calculated budget and rationed expenses. The number of such passengers runs into lakhs. Many of them have not traveled by trains since the last week of March as the local trains did not ply,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

He demanded that the railway ministry either refund the money or extend the travel period further on the resumption of local train services.

The suburban train services were suspended after the lockdown came into force in March.

Every day, over 80 lakh people travel in local trains, which are considered as the lifeline of Mumbai.

The Central Railway and the Western Railway operate over 3,000 services on suburban routes daily.