Mumbai, March 21 -- Central Railway's (CR's) recent decision to convert a "special" train between Dadar and Gorakhpur into a permanent express service, and run it in the same slot as the erstwhile Dadar-Ratnagiri passenger train, has snowballed into a Marathi-versus-north Indian row. Passengers from the Konkan region have threatened protests, alleging that the Railways are prioritising long-distance travellers over Maharashtrian commuters. Passenger associations and activists have called for a protest on May 1, objecting to the reassignment of the Dadar-Ratnagiri train's slot to the Gorakhpur-bound service. Over the past two days, they have written to the government and approached railway authorities, demanding that the Ratnagiri-bound passenger train be restored to originate from Dadar instead of Diva. Introduced in the late 1990s, the Dadar-Ratnagiri Passenger was among the first trains to connect Mumbai with the Konkan region and served as a lifeline for daily and low-income travellers. However, in 2020, CR shifted the train's origin from the central Dadar station to Diva Junction on Mumbai's outskirts. This was done to improve the punctuality of suburban trains. When the Dadar-Ratnagiri train entered the CR main line at Diva, it delayed six to eight suburban services by six to 10 minutes, officials said. However, the move forced thousands of Konkan-bound travelers, often carrying heavy luggage, to take overcrowded local trains to Diva to begin their long-distance journey. While this has been the case for nearly six years now, the matter escalated on March 18, when BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan posted a tweet thanking Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the regularisation of the Dadar-Gorakhpur Express. However, the decision drew criticism from commuters and activists hailing from the Konkan region, who said the train to Gorakhpur had effectively taken over the slot of the discontinued Dadar-Ratnagiri Passenger. In a letter to Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, the Konkan Vikas Samiti stated that long-distance train passengers from areas such as Parel, Dadar, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander, Virar, Vasai, Ghatkopar, Thane, and Kalwa face significant hardship in accessing Diva, as the only available mode of connectivity is through already overcrowded suburban local trains. "Even daily office commuters with minimal baggage struggle to board these trains during peak hours. Under such circumstances, it becomes extremely difficult for passengers travelling with heavy luggage, senior citizens, women with children, and families to endure the rush merely to reach Diva for boarding or alighting," read the letter. "This concentration of passengers at Diva poses serious safety risks and causes avoidable inconvenience," said Akshay Mahapadi, member of the Konkan Vikas Samiti. On Friday, CR reiterated that the decision had been explained in 2020. "The Dadar-Gorakhpur train has been operational for almost three years now. There is no change in operations except the change of number and status as a regular train."...