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Why are Mumbai local trains still on track?

Updated on: 07 April,2021 07:52 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Rajendra B. Aklekar | rajendra.aklekar@mid-day.com

As lockdown critics say “chain won’t break” as long as locals run, officials say shutting establishments and offices will bring down crowds

Why are Mumbai local trains still on track?

Representation pic

With no directives on local trains in the state government’s latest guidelines imposing lockdown-like curbs in the city, railway officials said they expect the daily footfall to reduce since several private establishments have been asked to remain shut. The actual impact of the anti-COVID measures on the ridership of the city’s suburban rail network will be known in a few days, they said.


The ‘Break the Chain’ order issued by the state on Monday only allows people arriving or departing by train between 8 pm and 7 am to use locals. On weekends, citizens may travel to the train station or return from there on a valid ticket.


A senior bureaucrat, on the condition of anonymity, listed seven key points that led to no action against local train travel, first it is the lifeline. The others are: it’s almost a round-the-clock service, easy access, reduces the burden on road transport, increases the productivity of essential service staff, past experience of its closure, and locals’ role as an overall booster to the economy.


The number of local commuters in the city had remained steady between 35 and 40 lakh. While it had come down during Holi, the closure of private offices and a renewed focus on work from home are likely to reduce the crowds further. 

A ride on local trains on Tuesday on the Central and Western railways revealed that though peak hour crowds remained more or less the same, there were empty trains during non-peak hours. 

“This may be true because peak hour traffic is for essential workers, who have continued to travel and the non-peak hour is for regular passengers which include private offices, where a dip is indeed expected,” a senior official said.

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Daily local footfall in the city so far

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