16 January,2011 08:43 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Officials of the suburban railways claim that an increase in the number of rakes and frequent services have lessened the rush in compartments, and left commuters with the option of missing a packed train
If railway officials are to be believed, the infamous rush in Mumbai's locals is on a downswing. This, they say, is largely due to the introduction of more services.
According to a study they conducted over the past three years, the loading in trains has decreased by up to 18%. While earlier, the average 12-car train had to fit 6,500 passengers, the number is now down to 5,300 passengers.u00a0
PC Sehgal, Managing Director, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), said, "The crowd has increased in the past three years but it isn't apparent to commuters because of extra MRVC rakes.
Thanks to the new rakes, services have increased both, on the central and western lines. Commuters now get adequate space to stand and sit comfortably due to the spacious design of compartments, and have the choice to miss a train and opt for the next one due to more frequent plying."
While the seating capacity of a coach is 100, and 250 commuters can stand in it, Mumbai's local trains carry over 450 standees in every coach during peak hours. If commuters feel no change, it's because the number of passengers has gone up too, argue officials.
Last year, approximately 65 lakh suburban passengers were being transported by locals. This year, it has gone up to 70 lakh. Central Railway carries around 37.4 lakh passengers each day, while the Western railway carries around 33 lakh passengers.
Heavy road traffic has lead to more commuters opting for local trains, top officials claim. AK Singh, PRO, Central Railways, said, "Passengers are travelling more comfortably as compared to last year. Most trains have been converted from 9-car into 12-car." Last year, CR ran a total of 1,468 services. It has gone up to 1,573 this year. While the total number of 12-car services last year was 522, this year it stands at 809.u00a0
Daily commuters fail to see the 'difference', though. Vishal Shah, a resident of Vile Parle, said, "The Railways keep making claims about an increase in the number of trains, but I am far from relieved.
I think the crowds are worse." Shah has been commuting by locals for eight years. Nazma Sheikh from Kalyan pointed out how the vast area that Central Railway covers makes a marginal increase in rakes redundant.
