Mumbai Suburban Railway
The Mumbai Suburban Railway system, part of the public transport system of Mumbai. The system carries more than 6.9 million commuters on a daily basis and constitutes more than half of the total daily passenger capacity of the Indian Railways itself. It has one of the highest passenger densities of any urban railway system in the world. The trains plying on its routes are commonly referred to as local trains or simply as locals by the general populace.
Due to its extensive reach across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and its intensive use by the local urban population, the Mumbai Suburban Railway suffers from some of the most severe overcrowding in the world.[4] Over 4,500 passengers are packed into a 9-car rake during peak hours, as against the rated carrying capacity of 1,700.[4] This has resulted in what is known as Super-Dense Crush Load of 14 to 16 standing passengers per square meter of floor space. Trains on the suburban line are on average more than 4 minutes apart, contributing to the problem of overcrowding. The impending introduction of new higher speed rakes may help address the issue.
It has been advised for safety concerns for tourists to avoid the trains during weekdays, or at least during the morning and evening peak hours. According to The Times of UK, Mumbai’s local railway network was one of the deadliest in the world: a record 17 people died every weekday on the city’s suburban railway network in 2008. Most deaths were people being run over while trespassing on the tracks. The next biggest cause of death was of passengers who fell (or were pushed) from carriages that travel at 64km/h (40mph), are often dangerously full. Another 41 people perished after being bludgeoned by track side poles while hanging out of overcrowded trains. Twenty-one were electrocuted by power cables when they sat on the roof.
Lifeline of Mumbai the electric train. A shot from Dadar overbridge
Women only compartments have been around in Mumbai local trains for ever. Suburban railway runs a ladies special train for about 10 years now.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway system, part of the public transportation system of Mumbai, is provided for by the state-run Indian Railways' two zonal Western Railways and Central Railways. The system carries more than 6.1 million commuters on a daily basis and constitutes more than half of the total daily passenger capacity of the Indian Railways itself. It has the highest passenger density of any urban railway system in the world. The trains plying on its routes are commonly referred to as local trains or simply as locals by the general populace.The Mumbai Suburban Railway, as well as Indian Railways, are an offshoot of the first railway to be built by the British in India in April 1853. This was also the oldest railway system in Asia. The first train ran between Mumbai and Thane, a distance of 34 km. The Bombay Railway History Group has been striving to document railway heritage along this line. Given the geographical spread of the population and location of business areas, the rail network is the principal mode of mass transport in Mumbai. [Wikipedia.org
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