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Short distances BIG CROWDS About 30% Of Commuters In Mumbai Opt For The Trains Even To Travel 10 km Or Less
Commuting patterns on Western Railway (WR) indicate that more than a quarter of card ticket holders (26%) and a little over a tenth of season ticket holders (10.5%) use trains for short distances up to 10 km. Travel experts say the figures are not surprising, considering trains are the cheapest and fastest mode of transport in the city. But what’s interesting is that short-distance travellers make up a good 30%, explaining perhaps why even with the introduction of more trains from stations like Borivli or Virar, trains remain considerably crowded. According to Western Railway statistics, 37% of card ticket holders from Dadar hop on to a train to travel to Marine Lines in the south of the city or to Vile Parle in the opposite direction. Moreover, figures of commuters originating from five major stations show that long-distance commuters prefer season tickets. At Borivli for instance, only 5% of season ticket holders use the city’s lifeline for short distances. Transport specialist Arun Mokashi feels stations from where a sizeable number of people commute short distances are usually points of occasional travel on holidays or by tourists. “It is but obvious that frequent travellers buy season tickets while people who travel shorter journeys take the routes infrequently. For example, Dadar station is close to the Swaminarayan and Siddhivinayak temples and is the point for changing lines from WR to Central Railway and vice versa,” he said. Bandra, which has 36% of the short-distance commuters, draws people for its shopping avenues, he added. “Buses are losing commuters not to trains, but taxis and autos. Trains have remained a popular mode of transport as the common man uses it for daily commuting and has no option since it is faster and cheaper. The statistics are not surprising,” said Mokashi. Agreed transport expert Sudhir Badami. “Dinesh Mohan in his study Metro Rail System, EPW, 2008, which also covers travel patterns, found that 57% of people work within 3 km of their residence. This grows to a cumulative 69% within a 5km radius, 79% up to 10 km, while 89% work within 15 km of their residence, taking into account all modes of transport,” he said. WR bosses attribute trains being faster and inexpensive as the reason for their over-crowding. “BEST and Railways are the two most popular means of travel, but trains are faster and cheaper and it may be the reason for their popularity,” said a railway official. Chief PRO, WR, S S Gupta said despite the sizeable number of short -distance commuters, WR cannot increase short distance services. “Very short distance services affects train capacity. Besides, it is difficult to have so many terminating platforms,” he said. A consultant will be appointed to chalk out a design for an integrated passenger information system. The consultant will also draw up plans to improve illumination at stations and provide convenient foot overbridges, besides devising a scheme to enhance electronic surveillance at entry and exit points. OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS UNDER MUTP-II 12-car rakes on Harbour line 5th and 6th lines between CST and Kurla 5th and 6th lines between Thane and Diva 5th line between Borivli and Mumbai Central Extension of Harbour line from Andheri to Goregaon DC to AC from CST to Thane 72 new 12-car rakes |
