Introduction
The Mumbai Suburban Railway (also known as local trains or locals) consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines supported with commuter rail on main lines serving outlying areas to provide service to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The suburban railway, which spans more than 400 kilometres and serves over 7.5 million commuters daily, offers nearly 3000 train services. Daily commuters make up roughly 40% of Indian Railways’ daily commuters. The Mumbai Suburban Railway is one of the busiest commuter train systems in the world, with around 2.64 billion yearly riders. However, despite mammoth passenger traffic and huge number of commuters travelling daily by the system, the Mumbai Suburban Railway is often criticized for safety concerns and infrastructural development of the rail system. In the last two decades, a number of passengers faced severe casualties and fatalities while travelling on Mumbai local trains. The lack of any significant upgrade in safety rules, infrastructural development or future lookout for the last two decades has been the cited reasons for it. Nevertheless, Mumbai Suburban Railway is the first suburban rail network in India, and it has the highest passenger density of any urban railway system in the world.
Background
The Mumbai Suburban Railway is an offshoot of the British East India Company’s first passenger railway, and it is also Asia’s oldest railway system. On 16 April 1853, at 15:35, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (now Central Railway) ran the first train between Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Thane, a distance of 34 km. The 34-kilometer voyage in the 14-coach train took 1.25 hours, with a stop at Bhandup to refill the train’s water tanks.
The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (now Western Railway) ran the next important train between Virar and Churchgate in April 1867. This line also included Colaba, which was eventually decommissioned. On 3 February 1925, the first EMU service began on the Central line from Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) to Coorla Harbour (now Kurla), using 1.5 kV DC traction. On 5 January 1928, service also began on the Western line from Churchgate to Borivali. The entire network had been converted to 25 kV 50 Hz AC traction by 2016.
Network
Indian Railways’ two zonal divisions, Western Railways (WR) and Central Railways (CR), operate the Mumbai Suburban Railway system. The fast commuter train routes on Central and Western Railways are shared with long-distance and freight trains, while inner suburban services operate on dedicated parallel tracks. The Western Line is operated by WR, whereas the Central Line, Harbour Line, Trans-Harbour Line, Vasai-Roha Line, and Neral-Matheran & Panvel-Karjat Line are operated by CR.
Central Line
The Central Line in Mumbai comprises three primary corridors that split when they approach suburban satellite towns. The Central Railway’s two corridors (one local and one through) from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Kalyan (53 km), where it splits into two lines, one to Kasara (67 km) in the North-East and the other to Khopoli (61 km) in the South-East. These two corridors make up the ‘Main’ Central Line. There is also a 36-kilometer corridor between Kurla and Kalyan stations for exclusive usage of outstation and cargo trains.
The Central Line connects to the Western Line at Parel and Dadar, and to the Harbour Line at Sandhurst Road and Kurla. The rolling stock is a fleet of new AC and alternating current Bombardier and Siemens EMUs. Kurla and Kalwa are the main car sheds located on this route. Locals are both rapid and slow. Slow locals stop at every station, while Byculla, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Diva, Dombivali, and Kalyan are the stations where fast locals stop. All trains that travel beyond Kalyan are slow trains. The train here stops at every station.
Western Line
From Churchgate, the Western Line follows the Western Railway northwards parallel to the West Coast. Local services by electric multiple units (EMUs) run on exclusive parallel tracks between Churchgate and Dahanu (124 km) up to Virar (60 km), while MEMUs operate the portion beyond Virar to Dahanu Road (64 km). EMU was extended up to Dahanu Road on April 16, 2013. MEMUs are additionally operational through a branch route from Bhiwandi Road to Vasai Road between Dahanu Road and Panvel. EMU car sheds are available at Mumbai Central, Kandivali, and Virar. Virar is home to Asia’s largest EMU car shed. At Mahalaxmi, there is an EMU repair shop.
The EMU fleet of Western Railway is totally powered by alternating current (25 kV). The rolling stock comprises of a fleet of new AC and alternating current Bombardier EMUs. EMUs are 12- or 15-car formations that are classified as slow or fast locals. Slow trains stop at all stations, whereas rapid trains stop at Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander, Vasai Road, and Virar and are preferable across longer distances.
Harbour Line
The Harbour Line goes from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Goregaon and Panvel as part of the Central Railway. All Harbour Line services are slow. The line leaves from two distinct platforms at CSMT, and the tracks cross over the mainline at Sandhurst Road to reach stations along Mumbai’s Eastern dock region. The Wadala Road branch line connects with the Western Line at Mahim and continues towards Goregaon. Further work is being done to extend the Western Line branch to Borivali.
The Harbour Line connects with the mainline in Kurla, where it heads East towards Navi Mumbai. The Harbour Line is further divided at Vashi into two lines, one of which rejoins the main lines at Thane while the other continues to Panvel. The shed for these trains is at Sanpada. From Sandhurst Road to Cotton Green, a segment of the Harbour Line is elevated.
Trans-Harbour Line
The Central Railway also includes the Trans-Harbour Line, which connects Navi Mumbai and Thane. It extends from two distinct platforms in Thane to Nerul, where it connects with the Harbour line upto Panvel, and a small and minor branch line from Turbhe to Vashi that runs parallel to the Harbour line. All services on the trans-harbour line are all-stop. Freight trains share the railway and tracks from Airoli to Koparkhairane through a bypass, then to a siding in Turbhe for the APMC market godowns.
Vasai Road-Roha Line
The Vasai Road-Roha line is a Mumbai Suburban Railway Intersection chord rail bypass line that connects the Western line, Central line and Harbour line of the Western Railway (WR) with the Central Railway (CR). It connects Panvel and the Konkan Railway and runs from Vasai Road to Roha. This line is currently used to bypass goods trains, express trains and MEMU passenger trains. The MRVC is additionally developing a separate Suburban Corridor along this route to improve connection.
Nerul-Uran Line
The Nerul-Uran line, commonly known as the Port line, is another section of the Central Railway that connects Navi Mumbai to Uran, which is also located in Navi Mumbai but to the Southwest. It also operates from two distinct platforms in Nerul and one in CBD Belapur to Uran, with direct access to JNPT in Navi Mumbai.
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Services & Facilities
Trains on the Mumbai Suburban Railway have four main designations:
- Slow trains (denoted by S) stop at all stations. These are intended for daily commuters.
- Fast trains (denoted by F) run fast and as express (skipping stops and mostly heading to railway junctions) until they reach a specified station and proceed to operate like a slow train after that station. These trains are generally meant for daily commuters as well as express connectivity to the rest of the Indian Railways outbound trains.
- Air Conditioned trains (denoted by AC) which are air-conditioned and can be either fast or slow.
Travel Classes
The suburban fleet has 12 and 15 coach rakes. There are two main types of travel classes: the first class and the second class. As most office employees have a first-class transport pass provided by their employer, the first class fare is approximately 8 times more expensive than the second class fare and thus tends to be less crowded during non-rush hours, though it is sometimes equally or more crowded than the general compartments during rush hour. Cushioned seating is also available in first class and senior citizen compartments, while the rest of the seats are generally plastic.
There are also women-only cars (referred to as ladies special) and, since 1992, Ladies Special trains with all seats reserved for female passengers. A semi-ladies special is a train that has a few coaches specifically for women. These distinctions can be used with fast, slow, and other keywords to use combinations like Slow Ladies Special.
Air-conditioned
The open doors and windows of the Mumbai Suburban Railways are well-known. This is because the trains have no ventilation system and rely on natural air ventilation. This was implemented as a cost-cutting solution, as an air-conditioning system would be rendered unimportant during rush hour. Leaving the doors open also enables for a quick boarding process and combat congestion as the trains only stop for 10 seconds at most of the stations. The Indian Railways produced the first local train for travel (especially for the hot and humid summer season) in 2016. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai manufactures this rake. It contains various novel features, including linked vestibules, cushioned seats, and sliding doors. It travels from Virar to Churchgate and from Kalyan to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. AC trains are fast and slow locals that began service on the WR on December 25, 2017, and on the Central Line in 2021.
Ticketing
The Mumbai Suburban Railway has a fare collection mechanism based on proof of payment. Tickets are available at all train stations. Travelling without a valid ticket is an infringement that can result in a fine if caught. Passengers travelling in first class without a valid ticket face a higher penalty.
CVMs and ATVMs
To save time, a Coupon Booklet can be purchased, and the coupons can be punched for the designated fare using Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs) located at each station. The authorities decided in early 2015 to phase out CVMs with effect from April 1, 2015. This decision was made owing to widespread coupon duplication and a lack of openness. There was also no method to track the coupons.
There are also Smart Cards that can be topped up (recharged with a certain amount) and used to print tickets from an Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM). One can purchase a season ticket if commuting regularly. The validity of these tickets ranges from one month to three months to a year. For regular commuters, season tickets are the most cost-effective and time-efficient option and alternative. Recently, in 2022, the ATVM received a new feature: it now accepts more payment methods. Initially, it only accepted the Railway Smart Card as a payment method. However, with the introduction of new payment methods, ticketing has become much faster. It has two features: the first is BHIM UPI QR CODE (Paytm), and the second is BHIM UPI QR CODE (Freecharge).
Mobile App
There are generally long lines at the ticket counters. In order to address this issue, the then railways minister, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, launched the UTSOnMobile app in December 2014 at Dadar railway station. The app was initially released for Android and Windows Phone, with an iOS version following and developed later. Initially, the app-booked tickets had to be printed from the ATVMs. Commuters found this process annoying and criticised it. Later, in July 2015, an upgrade to the app was released that allowed e-tickets. The upgrade also offered technical modifications, such as the ability to book tickets only within 30m to 5 km of the origin station instead of from the platform. This decision was well appreciated by commuters, with over 50,000 downloads on the first day.
Major Concerns
Doors
The open doors and windows of the Mumbai Suburban Railway are well-known. This is due to the lack of a ventilation system on the trains, which rely on natural air ventilation. This was implemented to save money because an air-conditioning system would be rendered worthless during rush hour.
Leaving the doors open also allows for a quick boarding process and turnaround time to combat overcrowding, as trains stop for only 10 seconds and are mostly 5 minutes apart. Passengers frequently end up hanging off the edge of the footboard or off door sills, and during rush hour, they can lose their balance and fall, resulting in serious injuries and even death. Teenagers and adults have also been observed attempting doorway stunts and door ladders, putting their lives in danger. There are also numerous reports of persons stumbling and falling down while getting on and off the train while it is moving, resulting in injuries.
Overcrowding
The Mumbai Suburban Railway has the most severe congestion in the world due to its vast reach across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and its intensive use by the local urban population. During peak hours, a 12-car or 15-car rake can carry over 4,500 passengers, far exceeding its rated carrying capacity of around 2,000. This leads to what is termed as a Super-Dense Crush Load of 14 to 16 standing passengers per square metre of floor space.
Fatalities
On the Mumbai Suburban Rail network, approximately 2,000 people die each year; between 2002 and 2012, more than 36,152 people died, and 36,688 people were injured. In 2008, a total of 17 persons died on the city’s suburban railway network every weekday. Overcrowding is one of the causes of accidents and deaths. Passengers crossing the tracks on foot to avoid footbridges is another reason of fatalities. Some passengers are killed when they perch on train roofs to avoid crowds and are electrocuted by overhead electric cables or when they fall while clinging to the door and window bars. However, fatality rates have gone down since 2018. Longer platforms and more frequent trains are being implemented to lessen the danger of such fatalities.
Central Railways, in collaboration with a behavioural architecture firm, implemented psychology-based interventions at the Wadala station, which reduced mortality by almost 75%. The success of this experiment was reported in the Times of India. In 2010, Western Railway stated that if ‘even a single passenger’ is found travelling on the roof, the train will be stopped.
Since 1996, the Western and Central Railways have been using the Auxiliary Warning System (AWS), a form of Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS), which is identical to England’s Automatic Warning System. The Central Railway and Western Railway implemented a Blue Light (Virtual Gate) idea, in which a blue beam light unit is put on the top of each gate, guiding commuters for safe boarding, avoiding overcrowding, and ensuring safe clearing in the platforms. It also contributed to a cultural shift in commuter behaviour.
Expansion
The Ministry of Railways and the state government of Maharashtra have jointly envisioned the formation of a distinct corporate entity to operate the Mumbai Suburban Railway in order to fulfil the ever-increasing passenger traffic demands. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), a public sector unit of the Government of India under the Ministry of Railways, was established on 12 July 1999 under the (Indian) Companies Act, 1956, with an equity capital of Rs. 250 million to implement the rail component of an integrated rail-cum-road urban transport project, referred to as the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). The cost of the rail component of the project has been planned to be shared and split equally between the Ministry of Railways and the Government of Maharashtra.
The Harbour Line has been completed by MRVC upto Goregaon as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II. The further extension of this line has been approved under MUTP-III until Borivali. CR has proposed building a 22.5-kilometer line connecting Nerul / CBD Belapur and Uran. There would be ten stations on the proposed line. CR has proposed a service from Kalyan to Nasik Road, which will benefit commuters to and from Nasik, as there are now only three Intercity trains from Mumbai (Godavari Express, Panchvati Express, and Manmad Rajya Rani Express) to Manmad. This regular distance of 132 kilometres meets the Indian Railways standards for EMU services. CR has stated that they shall conduct the trial runs; however, this would be challenging due to the Kasara Ghat tunnels.
Recent Study
For decades, Mumbai’s suburban train network has been referred to be the city’s lifeline. For many years, it remained the most popular mode of transportation in Mumbai, but the trend now seems to be changing. According to the most recent estimates, Mumbai’s local train network witnessed a twenty per cent decline in its daily traffic and ridership. According to Railways data, the suburban network handled 76.34 lakh commuters in the fiscal year 2019-2020 prior to the covid epidemic but only 61.95 lakhs this year, representing a 14.39 lakhs commuter drop.
The Central Railway (CR) witnessed a decline of 6.09 lakhs passengers in the last fiscal year. The passenger count was 41.47 lakh in FY20, which has fallen to 35.38 lakhs in FY23. The Central Railway (CR) witnessed a decline of 6.09 lakhs passengers in the last fiscal year. The passenger count was 41.47 lakhs in FY20, which has fallen to 35.38 lakhs in FY23. Similarly, the number of commuters on Western Railway (WR) declined from 34.87 lakhs in FY20 to 26.57 lakhs in FY23, revealing a drop of 8.30 lakhs passengers. The main reasons for the significant decline in ridership range from the use of other means of travel to the fall and overall drop in the quality of suburban services.The main reasons for the significant decline in ridership range from the use of other means of travel to the fall and overall drop in the quality of suburban services by the commuters.
It may be noted that the ridership is calculated based on the number of tickets sold. Some may argue that the passenger count may be higher than the data provided by Railways because many commuters also travel without tickets. However, experts believe that the fall has some specific reasons for it. The introduction of the Metro network on important corridors has been one of the key changes that has influenced ridership of Mumbai local trains, particularly on the Western Line.
For example, a considerable shift has been observed following the introduction of Metro Lines 2A and 7. The number of commuters from Andheri and Dahisar stations has considerably decreased in the suburban network after the opening of the route. The quality of the Suburban fleet that remains a major concern can be stated to be one of the other reasons for the decreasing ridership in the suburban train. Many commuters have been complaining about the poor quality of local train services, especially since the introduction of more comfortable services by the Mumbai Metro and BEST bus.
According to analysts, some establishments in the city have started providing transport services to their employees, at least at night, which is also cited as one of the reasons for the falling ridership in commuter rail system. Additionally, following the pandemic, many professionals shifted to personal vehicles. Moreover, a significant number of customers continue to avoid local trains because they are concerned about social distancing. In general, the country’s railway networks saw a twenty-four per cent decline in ridership.
