Trains packed despite metro, task force will talk to pvt sector on timings: Min | Mumbai News
Mumbai: Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday said the govt would set up a task force to engage with the private sector for staggered timings for employees to reduce pressure on suburban trains during rush hour. He was responding to questions regarding the Mumbra accident, which claimed the lives of five commuters who fell off the train due to overcrowding last month. Sarnaik told the assembly that since Jan 1, the state has allowed its own employees to arrive an hour late at office and compensate by staying an hour late. CM Devendra Fadnavis had spoken to the railway ministry about automatic closing doors on local trains, the same way it has been done for AC trains, said Sarnaik. He added that 7,565 commuters have lost their lives in the last three years while travelling on Mumbai’s local trains and 7,293 have been injured. He said that in 2024 alone, 741 commuters had died on the Thane-Kalyan stretch. In a written statement, Sarnaik said that according to information received from the Central Railway, the terminals of CSMT, Dadar and LMTT operate 190 mail and express trains and 106 goods trains on a daily basis. “As a result, the use of the Main line and Harbour line is more than 100%.”The introduction of metro rail had not eased pressure on local trains. “This is because population in Mumbai Metropolitan Region has risen,” Sarnaik said.The state has been focusing on increasing local transport alternatives. “We are introducing pod taxis in BKC area and also exploring this in Mira Bhayandar, Thane and Navi Mumbai. We are also looking at bike taxis and water transport from Gateway of India,” said Sarnaik.The Central Railway operates 1,890 electric multiple units (EMUs). Of these, 894 services are on the Main line with 80 AC EMUs , 614 on Harbour line, 262 on Trans-Harbour line and 40 on the Port line, running from CBD Belapur-Seawoods stretch to Uran. Two special trains reserved for women run during morning and evening rush hour, with three additional coaches for women in 21 trains, said Sarnaik.
