Title - Western Railway's struggle ends, finds workers to clear fallen tree

MUMBAI: Western Railway's long-distance trains started late on Tuesday, thanks to delay in clearing a fallen tree in the yard due to a religious belief. A branch of a peepal tree, which had extended close to the railway track, was hampering the smooth movement of trains at the Mumbai Central yard. Sources said, "A portion of the tree had damaged the tail lamp of the Mumbai-Jaipur Duronto Express during the shunting of the train in the yard." While there was an urgent need to clear the tree for the smooth movement of trains, it was not easy finding a labourer for the job. Ajay Singh, general secretary, Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh, said, "Since this period coincides with Pitru Paksh, some labourers were not willing to take up this task, which they feel is not auspicious. However, the officials did manage to get the job done." An official said, "We managed to get the track cleared within the best possible time. Even though the trains may have departed late, it was able to cover up the time during its course of the journey."

Due to the incident, Rajdhani Express departed 40 minutes late from Mumbai Central on Tuesday, while August Kranti Rajdhani had to pulled out of the station 15 minutes behind its scheduled departure. Some other trains were also delayed.