Mumbai Local Train no longer Mumbaikar’s Lifeline with launch of Metro
Mumbai Local Train no longer Mumbaikar’s Lifeline with launch of Metro
Mumbai Local Train is no longer the lifeline of Mumbaikars and a preferred mode of transport for years. But after the launch of Mumbai Metro, there is a significant change in the pattern.
The latest assessment reveals that the network of the local saw a 20 per cent decline in its daily ridership.
As per the Railway data by while the suburban network handled 76.34 lakh commuters in the financial year of 2019-2020 before covid pandemic, this year saw only 61.95 lahks, marking a fall of 14.39 lakh commuters.
Central Railway (CR) recorded a drop by 6.09 lakh last financial year. In FY20, the passenger count was 41.47 lakh and it fell to 35.38 lakh in FY23.
Similarly on Western Railway (WR), the number fell from 34.87 lakh commuters daily in FY20 to 26.57 lakh in FY23, with a decline of 8.30 lakh.
The ridership is counted on the basis of the ticket sale. without tickets. However, as per experts one of the key developments that affected the ridership of the Mumbai locals, especially on the Western Line, is the launch of the Metro network on key corridors. A noticeable shift took place since the opening of Metro Lines 2A and 7. The number of commuters from Andheri and Dahisar stations has significantly dropped in the suburban network.
The quality of the Suburban fleet remains a key concern. Many commuters have been complaining about the poor quality of services of local trains, especially with the introduction of more comfy services by the Mumbai Metro and BEST bus.
Reportedly some experts point out that several establishments in the city started providing transportation services to their employees, at least during the night. After the pandemic many professionals shifted to personal vehicles.
A large section of passengers continues to avoid the local trains as they remain concerned over social distancing, the experts note.
In general, across the country, the Railway networks saw a 24 per cent decline in ridership.
News input KV Raman
