Owing to heavy road traffic crisscrossing the level crossing at Kalwa — from east to west — local train services on Central Railway line were delayed by around 15 minutes on Wednesday morning. Due to heavy traffic, the motorists got stuck in the middle of the track at this LC gate. As a result, the gate could not be closed, delaying the local trains towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
The Central Railway (CR) officials said that the LC gate remained open from 7.36 am to 7.58 am. Due to this, the local trains towards CSMT and Kalyan on the slow line got stranded during this period. "The slow and semi-fast trains were running late by around 15 minutes in the morning hours," said a CR official.
Local residents claimed that this is an everyday problem as the LC gate is the only way for Kalwa residents to go on the other side. "The civic body is not interested in building a road over bridge," said a local.
Every day, the Kalwa and Diva see traffic congestion around the railway stations and this LC gate doubles the problems. On an average, the gate opens for 2-3 minutes and opens up for more than 10-15 times a day. "Everyday motorists get stuck at the LC gate. Neither the railways nor the Thane Municipal Corporation is doing anything about it," said Siddesh Desai, president, Kalwa Parsik Pravasi Sanghatana.
Once the 5-6 lines come up, the problems will escalate, unless a road overbridge does not replace this LC gate.
