India, April 23 -- After the near-accident on Tuesday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), where two trains came face to face on the same line, railway unions have alleged that the punctuality of trains has taken priority over safe train operations.

On Wednesday, the railway authorities said that the near-mishap occurred as the need to run more trains has gained prominence but has impacted the safety of train operations. At present, Central Railway (CR) operates 1,820 daily services, 46 more than the 1,774 services it ran in 2021-22.

CR officials said that for the past few years, trains had been stopping before signals that were closer to the platforms. In Tuesday's incident, the train halted before the signal that led to...