As Mumbai suffocates in Monday crush, Western Railway rolls back train cuts

TEST-DRIVE » As crowding at major stations threatens to get out of hand after long weekend, railways restores 20 per cent of cancelled trains to help ease commuters’ hardship

MID-DAY decided to conduct a test drive of the actual crowding and surge of people at suburban railway stations following the spate of train cancellations by Western Railway (WR) in order to lay a sixth rail line between Khar and Goregaon. It was observed that commuters were faced with a daunting task as the reduced train services led to an unexpected increase in the volume of passengers during the morning and evening rush hours.

Commuters at Dadar said there was double the usual crowd per train. Pic/Sameer Markande

Platforms and trains were both more crowded than usual. By evening, WR authorities announced that they were rolling back a number of cancellations and many train services were being restored as the work proceeded. After the weekend holiday, working individuals and students were seen heading to their offices and colleges, respectively, which added to the crowd and increased the load on the train services available.

Borivli
7.45 am to 9 am

The station saw an overwhelming influx of commuters due to train cancellations, resulting in an unusually dense crowd. In response to the situation, Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials were actively engaged in crowd management, ensuring order on the bustling station premises. Alongside the RPF personnel, ticket-checking personnel (TCs) diligently carried out their responsibilities, maintaining vigilance despite the heightened rush. Their consistent efforts contributed to managing the swelling number of passengers and in ensuring adherence to ticketing regulations. “The crowding was rather unusual. We need to reach our offices on time and for that we would need to leave our homes almost an hour early to ensure that even if we miss a train due to crowding, we can wait on the platform to board the next one,” Sunil Mistry, a daily commuter, said.

At one point, Andheri station was so crowded that the platform was barely visible. Pic/Prasun Choudhari

Andheri
9.45 am to 10.15 am

Even after the early morning rush hours, Andheri station was majorly overcrowded. The platform was so crowded that barely any space for standing was visible. Apart from the Western Line, Andheri station also deals with trains on the Harbour Line. Since trains on the Western Line were delayed and cancelled, the Harbour Line platforms saw a surge in commuter count as these trains passed through Dadar station. While RPF officials were seen managing crowds on the platforms, the massive surge of people left the stairway to foot overbridges jammed. “I travel daily from Andheri to my office in Bandra. After the weekend, it was frustrating to know about the block after I reached the station. I had no idea about the block as I was out of town for the weekend. I am going to get late for work today,” said a commuter.

Churchgate
5 pm

Not much additional crowd was spotted at Churchgate station at the start of evening peak hours around 5 pm. However, commuters said the crowd would certainly swell as time passes. Sahil Pawar, a daily commuter said, “Today was really troublesome. I could not reach my destination on time. The majority of the crowd usually gets down at Dadar and Bandra which is why Churchgate didn’t see much additional crowd. But at other stations towards Borivli, the crowd was unbearable.” Meanwhile, former postman Ashok Pawar said, “This trouble will last for only a few days but the facilities which are going to be provided will surely ease off the passenger load per train on the rail network.” Another passenger who claimed to be travelling for the first time to Churchgate said he was extremely confused due to the train cancellations.

Churchgate station witnessed slightly lesser crowd as compared to other stations. Pic/Satej Shinde

Dadar
5.45 pm to 6.20 pm

Dadar station seemed to have more crowd than usual during the evening peak hours between 5.45 pm and 6.20 pm. An increasing number of commuters were seen alighting from trains as time passed. Several trains were cancelled during these peak hours, leading to approximately double the crowd per train. According to student Khan Shohib who travels to his class daily, there was much more crowd on Monday and many people couldn’t reach their destinations on time. Parthiv Hathi, a daily commuter said, “I travel daily from Kandivli to Dadar and back, but today I had to travel by bus considering the train situation. I suggest that more trains should be cancelled during non-peak hours rather than cancelling them during peak hours.”

Bandra
6.30 pm to 6.45 pm

The number of passengers boarding trains at Bandra station seemed considerably more than usual. Bandra Kurla Complex is considered to be one of the hubs for corporate offices in Mumbai and a large number of people alight at Bandra to reach the location. A commuter in a rush to board a train said, “Keeping the block in mind, offices should consider implementing work from home at least for those whose work can be done from home. This will reduce the load on the railway services.”

Ashok Pawar, former postman. Pic/Satej Shinde

Situation inside the trains

Peak hours: The trains were more crowded than usual. There was no space to even stand on the footboard at the door, and boarding at interim platforms was close to impossible. Fast local train services on the Western Line seemed to be less crowded than the slow locals. The ratio of commuters boarding the trains to those alighting was around 2:1, leaving little space for those wanting to get on board.

A commuter said, “I was thinking of taking the Metro from Borivli to reach Andheri D N Nagar, but the condition there was also the same. Since trains were getting cancelled, a substantial amount of the crowd opted to travel by the Metro, making the situation worse there as well.”

Non-peak hours: Around 3.30 pm, considered to be a non-peak time for WR, trains were still crowded due to the cancellations. Many trains were delayed for an approximate average of 15-20 minutes as well, during non-peak hours.

Official speak

“To mitigate the problem faced by commuters, WR is trying its best to restore a few local train services which were announced as cancelled. In order to provide respite and for the convenience of passengers, 68 train services were restored on Monday, reducing the total number of cancellations from the 316 originally announced to only 248,” said Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer, WR. According to Thakur, on Tuesday (October 31), 83 trains will be restored, with only 233 cancellations as against the 316 cancellations that were announced. “WR is on a mission to fast-track the work of 6th line between Khar and Goregaon,” he said.

Security measures implemented

>> 359 RPF and 178 GRP staff deployed around the clock on platforms and bridges to regulate passenger movement, prevent congestion and avert potential situations such as stampedes

>> Additional inspectors from the headquarters have been stationed at strategic points like Bhayandar, Borivli, Malad, Dadar, Andheri, and Bandra stations

>> Starting November 1, additional Mumbai Security Force (MSF) staff will be deployed to amplify security efforts. RPF post in-charges have been tasked to oversee platform areas, collaborating with GRP, local police, and the railway administration to manage crowds and ensure safety. Plain-clothed staff are actively monitoring against rumor-mongering

>> Regular public announcements via PA systems and loud hailers are being made to notify passengers about train service cancellations and to deliver vital safety instructions

>> Continuous CCTV surveillance is being meticulously carried out to monitor activities at stations

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