New Delhi: The Mumbai suburban railway system is part of the state run Central Railway and Western Railway zones of India. The system operates 2342 train services and carries more than 7.42 million passengers every day.The system constitutes more than half of the total commuter's capacity of the Indian Railways itself, thus becoming one of the highest density networks of the world.It is the second busiest rapid transit system of the world.The Mumbai Central Railway suburban locals run on various routes between the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Karjat, Kasara, Panvel, among others.The trains plying on the route of the Mumbai rail network are commonly referred to as local train. These are meant for the general populace. Here are some pictures of the local train: 1. The first train to start in India was from Mumbai to Thane in 1853. The Mumbai Suburban Railway, as well as Indian Railways, are an offshoot of the first railway and the oldest rail system in Asia. 2. The Mumbai Suburban railway is operated by Indian railways' two zonal divisions Western railways and Central railways. 3. WR operates the Western Line and CR operates the Central Line, Harbour Line, Trans-Harbour Line as well as the Vasai Road-Diva-Panvel line. 4. The suburban railway operates at 1500 V DC partly and partly 25000 V AC power supply from overhead lines. 5. There is also a special coach reserved for women started in 1992 after many cases of eve teasing and sexual harassment were reported. 6. The major problem with these trains is overcrowding due to extensive population. 7. Over 4,500 passengers are packed into a 9-car rake during peak hours, as against the rated carrying capacity of 1,700. 8. Also, many fatalities has been reported due to excessive crowding. 9. Over the past 10 years (2002–2012), more than 36,152 lives have been lost on tracks and 36,688 people have been injured. 10. Train accidents on suburban Mumbai local routes have claimed 23,473 lives in the past 11 years, information sought under an RTI had revealed.
Updated on: January 11, 2014 6:54 IST
