Commuters raise concerns over timing of new Valsad-Surat MEMU train

Valsad: The Railway Board has announced the resumption of regular service of the Valsad-Surat MEMU train, which was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic, from October 3. However, daily commuters have expressed dissatisfaction with its scheduled timing, saying the service will offer little benefit to passengers travelling to Surat during the morning hours.

The new Valsad-Surat MEMU (Train No. 69149) will depart from Valsad at 1:20 PM and reach Surat at around 4 PM. Passengers have pointed out that two other Surat-bound trains are scheduled to depart from Valsad within the preceding 10 minutes, making the timing of the new service less useful.

Before the pandemic, the Borivali-Surat MEMU (Train No. 69139) used to reach Valsad at around 11:20 AM and was widely used by daily commuters, including students, office-goers and traders travelling between Valsad, Surat and other parts of South Gujarat. The service was discontinued during the pandemic, following which passengers repeatedly sought its restoration.

Following representations by Navsari MP and Union Minister C.R. Patil, the Railway Board announced the introduction of the Valsad-Surat MEMU from October 3. However, members of the Daily Passengers’ Association have urged the Railways to reconsider its timing.

According to commuters, the Bandra-Surat Intercity (Train No. 12935) reaches Valsad at around 9:15 AM. After that, there are no local or MEMU services towards Surat until 1 PM. The Saurashtra Express arrives at around 1:10 PM, followed by the Bandra-Udhna Express at 1:15 PM. The new MEMU is scheduled to leave just five minutes after the latter train, at 1:20 PM.

Passengers said the most pressing need for local train connectivity is between 9:15 AM and 11:15 AM, when students, office-goers and traders need to travel towards Surat. They have therefore requested that the new MEMU be rescheduled to an earlier time.

Daily commuters have also pointed out that the existing Borivali-Valsad MEMU (Train No. 69139) reaches Valsad at around 10:45 AM and terminates there. According to passengers, the same rake is expected to be used for the new Valsad-Surat MEMU.

They have suggested that instead of keeping the rake idle at Valsad for several hours, the Railways could operate it directly to Surat after its arrival at 10:45 AM. They said this would provide much-needed local connectivity during the gap in services towards Surat. DeshGujarat