India, March 21 -- The 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 and migrants 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 R...