Peak-hour CR services hit as motorists force level crossing gates open

THANE: Peak-hour Central Railway traffic was hit between Thane and Kalyan as motorists at Kharegaon level crossing forced the gate to remain open for about 50 minutes thrice on Wednesday. A few motorists, who were waiting to cross the tracks around 9.30am, allegedly threatened the gateman to keep the barrier open for a few minutes due to a “long queue of vehicles” waiting to cross.They forced the gate to remain open for 20 minutes though the usual maximum slot is five minutes. Later, other motorists did the same on two occasions, leaving trains stranded on either side. This is the second such incident over the last month. A diary entry of this incident was made at the railway station.