LOCAL TRAINS OF MUMBAI

MUMBAI's FASCINATING TRANSPORT:

The secret behind the title – Mumbai, ‘The city that never sleeps’ are the excellent all-time available public transport of which an integral part are the ‘local trains’. The Mumbai Suburban Railway system is a part of the public transport system of Mumbai. It was here where the first railway train in India was run (Mumbai to Thane in 1853). It has one of the highest passenger densities of any urban railway system in the world. They are a very important part of Mumbai’s common man’s life. This mode of transport, that has grown leaps and bounds over the years, carries more than 6.9 million people daily and also is a source of income for some. They begin at 4 am and continue running till the last local of the day from Mumbai CST at around 1:40 am past midnight. Beginning from the office-goers flurry in the morning, continued by the youth (college-goers), followed by the famous dabba-wallahs (greatly benefited by the punctual service of the railways - as they ferry tiffins to the working people at their offices) and finally followed by the entire crowd returning to their homes in the suburbs. Apart from this, there are many miscellaneous travelers who avail to his service once-a-while. It offers a source of income for many – the many railway employees, station workers, vendors selling tiny yet crucial items of use, etc. Mumbai is frequently termed as a place for co-existence for people of all religions, cultures, backgrounds, etc. The local trains also play a part. The time spent journeying is utilized by the people to do many constructive things – reading the newspapers, penning down thoughts and ideas in diaries, preparing for the day to come, etc. It brings out the social quotient in each individual as he travels day-in and day-out with his co-passengers. The railways are unperturbed by any incidents that occur and the people greatly depend on this prompt service. For example, during the 2007 bomb blasts in the local trains, the trains were not even halted for a minute - they ran on and on providing relief to the stranded commuters. Though services were disrupted, everything was back on track in a couple of days. All the commuters share each other’s grievances, happy times and show great sympathy and care towards each other. I personally experienced this the other day by travelling by a local when I overheard a group of office-goers speaking to each other – “It is surprising that Manish, our newly made friend hasn’t turned up in the train despite he being a very punctual person.” This shows the unity symbolized by the local trains of Mumbai. In recent times, the suburban network has expanded a lot in all its segments – Harbor Line, Central Line and the Western Line. The Harbor line caters to suburbs of Navi-Mumbai extending up to Panvel connected to Mumbai CST, the Central Line catering to the major suburbs like Dadar, Thane, Kalyan and extending up to Karjat & Kasara connected to Mumbai CST and finally the Western Line that runs parallel to the coastline and moves northwards with stations like Borivili, Andheri, Dahisar, etc connected to Bombay central. These trains march along their fixed routes all day long and irrespective of the person who avails to them, they serve with true devotion! Due to the geographical spread of the population and location of business areas, this rail network is the principal mode of mass transport in Mumbai. Thus, it can be aptly said that the local trains form the ‘lifelines of the city’. I am proud to be a part of such a wonderful city with such an outstanding system of public transport – I am proud to be a ‘Mumbaikar’.

GALLERY:-

THE UNITY AMONG PEOPLE AS THEY CAME FORWARD TO HELP DURING THE 2007 BOMB BLASTS