Mumbai Suburban Railway

Bombay Suburban Railway मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल्वे
Background
Locale	Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra
Transit type	Suburban Rail
Number of lines	6
Number of stations	Western: 36 Central: 62 Harbour: 38
Daily ridership	7.24 million
Annual ridership	2.64 billion
Headquarters	Churchgate (WR) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CR)
Website	Western Railway Central Railway
Operation
Began operation	16 April 1853
Operator(s)	Central Railways Western Railways (Western Line only)
Train length	9/12/15 coaches
Technical
System length	427.5 kilometres (265.6 mi)
Track gauge	1676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad Gauge
Electrification	1500V DC/25,000V AC Overhead catenary
Average speed	50 km/h (31 mph)
Top speed	100 km/h (62 mph)

The Bombay Suburban Railway (Marathi: मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल्वे) is a suburban rail system serving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It is operated by Indian Railways' two zonal Western Railways (WR) and Central Railways (CR). The system carries more than 7.24 million commuters daily. It has the highest passenger density of any urban railway system in the world. The trains plying on its routes are commonly referred to as local trains or simply as locals by Mumbaikars.

Spread over 465 km, the suburban railway operates on 1500 V DC / 25000 V AC power supply from overhead catenary lines. The suburban services are run by electric multiple units (EMUs). 191 rakes (train sets) of 9-car, 12-car & 15-car composition are utilised to run 2342 train services, carrying 6.94 million passengers per day. If annual ridership (2.64 billion) is taken into account, the Suburban rail would be the second busiest rapid transit system in the world.

Due to the geographical spread of the population and location of business areas, the rail network is the principal mode of mass transport in Mumbai. As Mumbai's population swelled, frequent overcrowding has become a serious issue, and numerous safety concerns have been raised over the years. A metro system and a monorail system are under construction in Mumbai to ease the travelling conditions on the suburban network.

History

The Mumbai Suburban Railway, as well as the Indian Railways, are an offshoot of the first railway to be built by the British in India, and is also the oldest railway system in Asia. The first train ran between Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane, a distance of 34 km, on 16 April 1853 at 3:35 pm. The 14-coach train took 57 minutes to complete the 32 km journey, with a halt at Sion for taking in water. Since 1991, it has faced rapid expansion. The Bombay Railway History Group has been striving to document railway heritage along this line.

Network

Main article: List of Mumbai Suburban Railway stations

Two zonal railways, the Western Railway (WR) and the Central Railway (CR), operate the Mumbai Suburban Railway system. At present, the fast corridors on Central Railway as well as Western Railway are shared for long distance and freight trains. The Western Railway operates the Western Line and the Central Railway operates the Central Line, Harbour Line, Trans-Harbour Line as well as the Vasai Road-Diva-Panvel line.

Western Line

Main article: Western Line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)

Two corridors (one local and the other through) on Western Railway run northwards from Churchgate parallel to the west coast up to Dahanu Road (120 km). These corridors are popularly referred to as 'Western Line' by the locals mainly because it is operated and owned by the Western Railways.

Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) ply between Churchgate and Dahanu Road (120km), while Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMUs) service the section beyond Virar till Dahanu Road (60 km). On 16 April 2013 EMU has extended upto Dahanu Road. MEMUs also operate between Dahanu Road and Panvel via a branch line from Vasai Road. There are EMU carsheds at Mumbai Central and Kandivali. An EMU car shed is under construction between Nala Sopara and Virar which will be the largest car shed in Asia. A repair shop for EMUs is situated at Mahalaxmi.

Widely used Western Railway's EMU fleet consists of EMUs running on AC (25 kV) power. EMUs are 9 car, 12 car or 15 car formations and are differentiated as slow and fast locals. Slow trains halt at all stations, while fast ones halt at important stations only and are preferable over longer distances.

Central Line

Main article: Central Line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)

The Central Line in Mumbai consists of 3 major corridors, which bifurcate as they run into suburban satellite towns. Two corridors (one local and other through) on Central Railway run from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to Kalyan (54 km), from where it bifurcates into two lines – one running up to Kasara (67 km) in the north-east and the other running up to Khopoli (61 km) in the south-east. These two corridors constitute the 'Main' Line. The Central main line shares two stations with the Western line at Parel and Dadar. They consist of a fleet of DC as well as dual-powered EMUs. The major car sheds on this line are at Kurla and Kalwa. There are fast and slow locals here for suburban service. Slow locals halt at every station, while fast locals halts vary between Byculla, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Dombivali and Kalyan. All services plying beyond Kalyan run as slow service(halting at every station).

The Central Line also includes a line connecting Vasai Road, Diva and Panvel. There is also a line from Nerul/CBD Belapur to Uran currently under construction. It is expected to be operational in 2015.

Harbour Line

Main article: Harbour Line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)

The Harbour line is part of the Central Railway, and runs a train corridor from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to Andheri, Thane and Panvel. All harbour line services operate as slow services. The line operates from two separate platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), and the tracks cross over the main line at Sandhurst Road, to head towards stations along Mumbai's eastern dock area. A branch line from Wadala Road joins the Western Railway Line at Mahim and continues towards Andheri. The harbour line shares a common station at Kurla with the main line, where it turns east towards Navi Mumbai. The Harbour line further bifurcates at Vashi into two lines – one rejoins the main lines at Thane, while the other continues to Panvel. The shed of these trains is in Sanpada. A large section of the harbour line is elevated.

Trans-Harbour Line

Main article: Trans-Harbour Line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)

The Trans-Harbour Line connects Navi Mumbai to Thane. It runs from Thane to Vashi and Nerul. According to V Malgaonkar, Chief PRO of the Central Railway, "The objective of the trans harbour line project was to reduce the load at Kurla. The line caters to the chemical industrial belt in Navi Mumbai that goes up to Thane." Services from Panvel and Nerul have also reduced the load on Vashi. The line was started in 1993 to run goods trains between Turbhe and Kalwa. It was upgraded in 2004 to transport commuters till Thane. Services from Panvel to Thane and Nerul to Thane were started in 2010. There are currently 208 services operating on the trans-harbour line.

Future Expansion

Navi Mumbai is expected to get approximately 180 km of railway tracks in the near future. Surveys by the MMRDA showed that passenger density in the satellite city was growing at a faster rate than both Western Railway and Central Railway’s main line. Navi Mumbai is expected to have a population of 4.8 million by 2021 and about 80% of the population will travel by train. The State Government, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation and World Bank officials estimate that railway projects in Navi Mumbai and neighbouring areas of Raigad district will cost around 14,000-crore.

The routes proposed under the 14,000-crore project are:

• CST –

Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II plans to extend the Harbour Line up to Goregaon. The work is expected to be completed by March 2014. Under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III, the Harbour Line will be further extended up to Borivali.

Anatomy

The interior of new rakes

Brand new rakes will replace the ageing fleet of suburban trains

The suburban trains consists of 9, 12 and 15 coaches. To alleviate the problems of overcrowding, the 9 coach trains are being phased out and replaced with 12 coaches. 15 coach trains were introduced on 21 November 2009. However, these are few in number. Each train contains special coaches to cater to different needs. These coaches are commonly referred to as 'Compartments'.

There are basically two classes of travel: first class and second class. The first class fare is approximately 10 times more expensive than second class, and therefore tends to be less crowded. First class compartments also have slightly better seats than second class. Broadly the train contains the general compartments, ladies compartments, general first class and ladies first class. Men are not allowed to travel in the ladies compartment except between 11:15 pm – 6:30 am.

• The General compartment: Also commonly called "Gent's second clas"or simply "second class", as the majority population in these compartments is men. The compartment is open to women and children as well.

• The General First Class compartment: Again commonly known as 'Gent's first class' or simply 'first class', since majority population is men. Women and children can also board this compartment. The coach is designated by red and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes.

• The Ladies compartment: Commonly known as 'Ladies second class'. This compartment is reserved solely for females, however male children up to the age of 13 can travel in this compartment. Men are not allowed to travel, and may face a penalty. Some of the coaches of ladies compartments are open to general public between 11:15pm – 6:30am. These are indicated by a note near the doors of the compartments. The coach is designated by green and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes.

• The Ladies First Class compartment: Commonly known as 'Ladies first class'. This compartment is reserved solely for females, however male children up to the age of 13 can travel in this compartment. Men are not allowed to travel, and may face a penalty. Some of the coaches of ladies compartments are open to general public between 11:15pm – 6:30am. These are indicated by a note near the doors of the compartments. The coach is designated by red and yellow slant stripes. The location of the same is designated by coloring the platform walls with similar stripes. This compartment is adjacent to the ladies compartment on the western line.

• For Handicap and Cancer Patients: For the physically challenged and cancer patients, separate coaches are reserved in each train. On a platform, one can locate these by signs or by following a 'Beep- Beep- Beep' sound indicator for the visually impaired. These coaches are open to all the genders. One needs a valid certificate of disability(in case it is not apparent) to board the compartment. Failure to do so may result in a penalty.

• For Senior Citizens: A special coach is reserved for passengers above the age of 60. These coaches are open to all the genders.

• Luggage Compartment: Heavy goods and luggage can be transported via the suburban trains using the compartments specially designed and reserved for this purpose. The luggage compartment at the south-end of Western Line services is reserved for dabbawalas between 10 am and noon on all Virar-Churchgate services and between 2 pm – 4:30 pm on all Churchgate-Virar services. On the Central Line, the compartment is reserved for dabbawalas 10 am – 12.30 pm on all Kalyan-CST services and from 2 pm – 4.30 pm on all CST-Kalyan services.

Stations usually lack clear signage indicating the positions of compartments. However, seasoned commuters usually know them by heart.

Ticketing

Automatic Ticket Vending Machine

Tickets for the suburban trains can be purchased at every train station. Travelling without a valid ticket is an offence and if caught can result into penalty. The penalty is steeper for passengers travelling in first class without a valid ticket.

Tickets can be bought for single journey (one way) or a return journey. A return ticket is valid till the next day on weekdays and till Monday if purchased on a Friday. The ticket counters usually have long queues.

Tourists can avail the option of 'Tourist ticket'. Under the tourist ticket scheme, passengers can travel unlimited times during its validity between any stations on all lines Mumbai Suburban Railway. Tickets are available for first and second class. Effective 1 August 2012, the fares for first class tickets are 210 (US$3.80) (1-day), 365 (US$6.70) (3 days) and 430 (US$7.90) (5 days). These tickets are issued maximum 3 days in advance, excluding the first day of validity. No refund is admissible on unused/partially used tourist tickets. But tourist tickets booked in advance can be cancelled before the day of validity on which charges of Rs 10 for second class and Rs 20 for first class per passenger will be deducted.

CVMs and ATVMs

To save time, a Coupon Booklet can be purchased and the coupons can be punched for the designated fare at the Coupon Validating Machines(CVMs) at every station. The ticket fares matrix is pasted above the CVM. As of October 2012, there are approximately 575 CVMs on Mumbai Suburban Railway stations. The Central Railway network has 350 and the Western Line has 225.

There are also Smart Cards available that can be topped up (recharged with some amount) and one can use it to print tickets for themselves from an Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVMs). A Season Ticket can be purchased if one is commuting regularly. One can choose the validity of these tickets from 1-month, 3 months to a year. Season Tickets are the most cost effective and time efficient option for regular commuters.

Rakes

Old EMU Rake

New white and purple coloured rakes on the Western Line

A bulk of the current fleet of both the Western and Central railways features old rakes which are capable of a maximum speed of 85 km/h in regular service. Most of these rakes are built by Jessop (Kolkata) and ICF (Perambur). The recently introduced AC/DC rakes (more modern motors in the existing carriage designs) are capable of 100 km/h under low traffic conditions. The actual average speed of the rakes on the slow lines is about 35 km/h, while rakes on fast lines average about 45–50 km/h on a typical run.

On 12 November 2007, 1st rake of 129 new 12-coach rakes with upgraded facilities was inducted into the fleet of the Western Railways under the MUTP project. The coaches are built of stainless steel, and have non-cushioned seats, emergency fluorescent lights, bigger windows with polycarbonate lookout glass, better suspension systems and a novel roof mounted forced ventilation system, station indicators in all coaches, GPS based Public information system in all coaches.The new rakes are much more cool and airy, than the old EMU. The engine of the new rakes also makes less amount of noise than the older ones. This is a great advantage for the people living near the railway,as the old rakes made much more noise. Since,2010 the front of the EMUs are painted yellow, so that the maintenance workers on the tracks can see the train from far distances and act accordingly. These rakes have been procured under the project at a total cost of Rs 19 billion (Rs 19 billion) (USD 431.0 million).

As on Sep 2010, 102 out of 129 new trains have been delivered to Mumbai Suburban Railway. Total cost of this project is 53 billion (US$970 million)

On 25 July 2012, Central Railway announced it was introducing trains with cushion seats in second class compartments. Cushion seats have been fixed on all the white and purple coloured EMU rakes by an in-house team of Matunga workshop. The difference between first and second class seats is that they have four-inch density and two-inch density respectively.

The cushion has been made of rubberised coir material which is fire retardant. The seat cover is made of artificial leather similar to ones used in the first class compartment. Coir is tough, durable and can spring back to shape even after constant use. Coir is cheaper compared to rubber foam or polyurethane material, which is being used for making cushion seats in first class compartments.

A nine-car train has a seating capacity of 876 and 1,752 standees – a total of 2,628. A 12-car train can seat 1,168 and accommodate 2,336 standees that is a total of 3,504 passengers and a 33% rise in carrying capacity compared to a nine-car train.

Air Conditioned Rakes

In 2007, the railways had planned to run air conditioned trains as a pilot between Churchgate and Borivli on a public-private partnership, but scrapped it following opposition. In the 2008 rail budget, the then railway minister Lalu Prasad had stated the possibility of introducing AC suburban trains for the city in the 11th Five Year plan by 2012. In the 2012 Rail Budget, railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, stated that "work had begun in right earnest" to provide passengers with AC local trains. He estimated a capital cost of 9 crore for a 12-coach AC local train. Though the cost of actually designing and running the AC EMU will be more than 27 crore (the cost of a regular rake)Trivedi announced a token contribution of 100,000 in his budget.

The Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) in Lucknow is currently working on the design for AC trains for Mumbai. WR had also internally prepared one such coach at its Mahalaxmi workshop and undertaken trials. The plan for Mumbai had been earlier rejected as air-conditioned trains required closed doors, which was not possible in the dense crush load that the city's trains ferry. One of the ideas proposed comprised air-curtains to separate the cold air from the warm, but that too did not click. An air-curtain is a ventilation device used for separating two spaces from each other, a downward-facing fan with a powerful jet to help keep outside air out. As local trains could not be fitted with air-conditioners, it was then decided to install forced ventilation blowers in trains. The "forced ventilation" technique was to aid in decrease of carbon dioxide levels in packed trains. In October 2012, Chief Electrical Engineer of WR Sunil Goyal, said, "Designs prepared by the RDSO have been sent to Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and the process of manufacturing is currently on. As soon we receive the train, it will be ready to run post trials". The Railway Board had placed an order for an air conditioned 12 coach rake with ICF in Chennai. The rake is estimated to cost 40 million and fit atleast 400 commuters per coach. On 23 January 2012, the Railway Board approved an air conditioned rake for CR, but later decided to allot the rake to WR. The board felt that it would be easier to operate the air conditioned rake on the Western Line because it is a comparatively straight line and is completely powered by alternating current. The air conditioned rake will have longitudinal seating and a design similar to the ones operating on Kolkata and Delhi metros.

WR plans to run the rake on the slow corridor between Churchgate and Borivali by April–May 2013. Currently there are no AC rakes in the Mumbai Suburban Railway. However, all coaches are fitted with fans.

Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC)

Main article: Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation

To enable the Mumbai Suburban Railway to meet the demands of the ever-growing passenger traffic, the federal Government of India's Ministry of Railways and the state Government of Maharashtra have jointly envisioned the constitution of a separate corporate entity to operate the system.

The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Ltd (MRVC), a public sector unit of the Government of India under the Ministry of Railways, was incorporated under the (Indian) Companies Act, 1956 on 12 July 1999, with an equity capital of 250 million (US$4.6 million) to implement the rail component of an integrated rail-cum-road urban transport project, called Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). The cost of the rail component of the project is to be shared equally by Ministry of Railways and Government of Maharashtra.

Electrification

The Indian Railways plans to build a 700 MW gas-based plant in Thakurli. Once functional, the plant will provide all the necessary power to run suburban trains on the Mumbai Suburban Railway, and the additional power in the grid can be given to other sources. The Thakurli power plant will be set up with the help of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). It will lie on an 85acre plot next to Thakurli railway station.

Indian Railways already runs two power plants, one at Nabinagar (1000MW) in Bihar and second at Adra (1,320MW) in West Bengal.

Safety Issues

Overcrowding

Due to its extensive reach across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and its intensive use by the local urban population, the Mumbai Suburban Railway suffers from some of the most severe overcrowding in the world. Over 4,500 passengers are packed into a 9-car rake during peak hours, as against the rated carrying capacity of 1,700. This has resulted in what is known as Super-Dense Crush Load of 14 to 16 standing passengers per square metre of floor space. Trains on the suburban line are on average more than 4 minutes apart, contributing to the problem of overcrowding. The impending introduction of new higher speed rakes may help address the issue.

Tourists

It has been advised for safety concerns for tourists to avoid the trains during weekdays, or at least during the morning and evening peak hours. Avoid travelling from north to south between 8 am and 11 am and from south to north between 6 pm and 9 pm. The best way to enjoy the trains is on Sundays when they are relatively empty. However, watch out for Sundays when work is done on the tracks, as it could mean that trains are still crowded on a Sunday. During the work day, beware of getting on the express trains or 'fast trains', as they only call at stations denoted by 'F', especially the trains to Virar.

Fatalities

On an average, 3,700 people die annually on the Mumbai Suburban Rail network. A query filed by Chetan Kothari under the Right to Information (RTI) has revealed that over the past 10 years (2002–2012), more than 36,152 lives have been lost on tracks and 36,688 people have been injured. This is believed to be the highest number of fatalities per year on any urban or suburban railway system. Most of the deaths are of passengers crossing the tracks on foot, instead of using the footbridges provided for going from one platform to another, and are hit by passing trains. Some passengers die when they sit on train roofs to avoid the crowds and are electrocuted by the overhead electric wires, or hang from doors and window bars. These figures are from past, however the rate has declined recently. To reduce the risk of such fatalities, automatic doors will be installed on all rakes by 2016 along with longer platforms and more frequent trains.

According to The Times of UK, Mumbai's local railway network was one of the deadliest in the world: a record 17 people died every weekday on the city's suburban railway network in 2008. However, recently Central Railways has resorted to some innovative methods to manage trespassing. Central Railways, in association with Final Mile, a behaviour architecture firm deployed neuroscience based interventions at the Wadala station. For the last year or so, the death rates have reduced by about 75%. Boston Globe carried a news item on this. Times of India carried a news item regarding the success of this experiment

The next biggest cause of death was of passengers who fell (or were pushed) from carriages that travel at 64 km/h (40 mph), are often dangerously full. People have also perished after being bludgeoned by trackside poles while hanging out of overcrowded trains or electrocuted by power cables when they sit on the roof.

Western Railway has pledged that its trains will stop running if "even a single person" is seen travelling on the roof. “We know that halting a train during peak hours will result in a lot of chaos. However, we cannot let people travel this way as they will surely lose their lives,” a railway spokesman told The Times of India.

In mid-2011, following a viral video of a youth performing stunts while dangling from the compartment of a Harbour Line train, a boy was smashed by a pole to his death while imitating the actions performed in the video.

The Western and Central Railways have been using the Auxiliary Warning System (AWS), an old version of Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS), since 1996.

Terrorist attacks

The Mumbai Suburban Railway has suffered 8 blasts and around 368 people are believed to have died as a result.

• 12 March 1993– bomb blast at Rey road station
• 13 March 2003 – A bomb went off in a train in Mulund killing 20
• 11 July 2006 – A series of seven bombs went off in trains killing 257
• 26 November 2008 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was also attacked during the 2008 Mumbai Attacks killing at least 60 people.

In popular culture

Film

The Mumbai Suburban Railway has regularly been used for film shoots. Film writer Sanjay Chauhan says, "A train is not only the lifeline of Mumbai, but love, heartbreak, separation and loneliness have been symbolized through trains since pre-independence days. A story based in Mumbai is incomplete without a train sequence, as in Baton Baton Mein and Saathiya."

In 2010, Western Railway earned 8.35 lakh from film and television shoots. That figure went up to 1.42 crore in 2012-13. WR charges 1.10 lakh for a day's shoot without any rolling stock, while one with special rolling stock is about 4.12 lakh. According to film location director, Arun Mathias, "A security deposit of 5 lakh has to be paid, besides an insurance of 48,000 taken for a week's shoot. An engine with coaches on the platform and a moving train may go up to 4.25 lakh (for 8 hours). But just a platform shoot or a sequence in a railway yard can be done for 2 lakh."

Some movies that have used the Mumbai Suburban Railway for filming are: Agneepath, Dabangg, Gangs of Wasseypur, Ghanchakkar, Kai Po Che, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again, Rajjo, Ra.One and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.

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See also

• Mumbai Metro
• Mumbai Monorail
• Salsette-Trombay Railway
• 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings

External links

• Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation
• MumbaiLifeline Mumbai Local train timetable of all four routes (Central,Western,Thane-Vashi and Harbour Line route)
• Go4Mumbai Suburban Railway Local Train Timetable
• [1] Mumbai Railway Map