MUMBAIKAR’S LIFE IN LOCAL TRAINS

Professor in charge: Prof. Zeeshan Mirajkar

Tolani College of Commerce, TYBMS

Date of submission of report: 20th

February 2010
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgment…………………………………………………………5

Executive Summary………………………………………………………6

Introduction……………………………………………………………….7

Summary of Major Findings……………………………………………..9

Body of Report………………………………16

Recommendations………………………….43

Appendix………………………………….45

Bibliography……………………………….45

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 Declaration

We group members of T.Y.B.M.S from Tolani College of

commerce SEMESTER VI hereby declare that we have

completed this Project on “Mumbaikar’s life in local trains” in

the Academic Year 2010-11. This information is true and original

to the best of our Knowledge.

3
 Certificate
We hereby certify that we the group members of

TYBMS from Tolani College of commerce

SEMESTER VI have completed their project on

“Mumbaikar’s life in local trains” in the

academic year 2010-11. This information submitted

is true and original to the best of our knowledge.

4
 Acknowledgements

Our team would like to express their sincere thanks to

Prof. Zeeshan Mirajkar for giving us such a unique
opportunity to study and the subject in depth. His
invaluable guidance and support in this endeavor has been
a constant source of inspiration.

Finally it is our foremost duty to thank all our

respondents, family and friends with which this research
would not have been successful.

5
 Executive Summary

Have you ever traveled in a Mumbai local train? And if yes, how was your experience?
Well the answers received to this simple question revealed a surprising amount of
dissatisfaction with the railway services which seemed to contradict with the statement
published by the railway government that more people are traveling by trains than ever
before.

The Mumbai local train system which is spread over 302 route kilometers is considered
the lifeline of Mumbai, the commercial capital of India. Riding in crowded Mumbai
trains is not for the faint of heart. For the timid, getting into and off a Mumbai train is
close to a life altering experience. Engulfed in a sea of humanity, the hapless commuter
just flows with the tide. In 2008, 3,404 people were killed in Mumbai trains mishaps,
according to the Wall Street Journal. Those killed were commuters on the trains,
crossing the tracks or slipped off the platform while boarding or getting off extremely
crowded trains.

"Accidents are so common that stations stock sheets to cover corpses," Eric Bellman
wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal estimated that the Mumbai commuter network's rail tracks carry 20,000
passengers every day for each kilometer far higher than rail networks of any other
country. During peak hours in Mumbai, 550 people travel in a carriage built for 200.

Mumbai's horrific deaths involving commuter trains begs us to ask the question whether
the blame rests on the failure of the Indian state to build a basic infrastructure for its
people or the lack of traveling etiquette and carelessness of the commuters?

6
 Introduction

Background of the study: -

Traveling is a major component of our modern lives and local trains have become a
hallmark of Mumbai.Like any large, densely populated urban area the trains are essential
for getting people around, as the road network simply could not cope with such large
numbers of commuters, especially at peak hours of travel. The city would grind to a halt
without them.Therefore one is not surprised to know that the daily commuters call the
locals as their first homes; considering the fact that some of them spend more than six
hours traveling in these trains day in and day out. An estimated 6.4 million commuters
living in the far-flung suburbs of Mumbai use the local trains daily to travel to their
workplace, making it the most widely used network in the country.

Objective of the research project: -

The local railways in Mumbai have become such an integral part of our lives, that many
of us don’t question its convenience & safety. We would like to conduct a survey on how
the drive toward convenience and safety in railway travel might be resisted through
human behavior or practice or the system itself , and to what extent does the behavior or
practice or the system resist the tendency to turn the railway services into an efficient,
effective commodity

7
Definition of the problem: - Traveling inconvenience and dangerous travel

Scope of study-composition of sample and period of study: -

The Mumbai local trains travel from
Mumbai V.T to Andheri and back
Mumbai V.T to Vashi/Panvel and back
Churchgate to Borivali/Virar and back
Mumbai V.T. to Karjat/Kasara and back
For this project report we chose to analyze the traveling behavior of commuters from
Harbor Line, Central Line & Western.
The study was carried out for a period of 4 days commencing on 12th February 2010 &
ending on 16th February 2010.

Description of procedures of research: -

Our Team used the Field Survey method for our research. For the very purpose our team
prepared a survey questionnaire to record the travelling habits and experiences of the
commuters. The questionnaire was designed to acquire information about various
travelling practices of the population e.g.:- crossing railway tracks etc. We kept in mind
to use simple language so as to derive their responses accurately.
The team decided to use a Likert scale and use Affirmative-Negative Questions for rating
the responses of the people to the questions asked. We focused on both male and female
of the following 3 age groups i.e. 20 to 30, 31 to 40 & 41 above. The team felt that this
segmentation would be well versed with train travel and would provide us with better
insight. We conducted a survey of 100 individuals.

8
The Field Survey helped us contact our target audience and receive their input which was
vital to our survey for generating primary data.

Summary of Major Findings

Q.1) How many people travel in Mumbai local trains on a daily basis?

Answer) Over 88% of the commuters in Mumbai use public transport (suburban trains or
buses). The Mumbai local trains carry more than 6.1 million commuters on a daily basis.
It has the highest passenger density of any urban railway system in the world. The
Western Railway line between Church-gate terminus and Dahanu Road carries about 2.6
million passengers per day, almost 43 percent of the total Mumbai suburban rail traffic.
The annual passenger traffic density for the Western Line exceeds 145 million passenger-
km per km of route per year. In other words, more than 145 million passengers travel, on
average, over each km of line per year. The busiest segment, 60 km between Church-gate
terminus and Virar, carries almost 900 million passengers per year. The annual traffic
density, about 255 million passenger-km per km of route, is believed to be the world
record for passenger rail transport. Due to its extensive reach across the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region, and its intensive use by the local urban population, overcrowding
has grown to be a compelling problem (4,700 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
meter 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.

9
Q.2) What is the number of fatalities happening in railway travel?

Answer. Yearly more than 3,500 people die on the Mumbai suburban railway track due to
unsafe riding on trains or trespassing on railway tracks or as a result of suicide attempts.
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.
Due to these fatalities, automatic doors will be installed an all rakes by 2016 along with
longer platforms and more frequent trains. Central and Western Railway was forced to
release under the Right to Information Act that at least 20,706 people have died in the last
five years; an average of 10 each day.

Q. 3) What precautions are taken by the railway authorities for the safety of the
passengers?
Answer.Some time back, Mumbai witnessed several incidents of stone throwing on the
locals by miscreants, inflicting injuries on many a passenger. Alarmed at these incidents,
the railways have progressively provided window grills on all the rakes for the safety of
the passengers. Similarly there was an accident when many ladies, who jumped off their
train (which had halted midway between two stations) due to a fire, got injured due to the
fall. At least Central Railway has taken steps to provide, yes 'steps' for every ladies
compartment of the trains, to facilitate alighting midway if such a need arises. Similarly,
many trains have been provided with speakers in passenger compartments for any public

10
announcement. Measures taken include timely replacement of over-aged assets, adoption
of suitable technologies for up - gradation and maintenance of track, measurement of
overstressing of track and bridges, rolling stock, signaling and interlocking systems,
safety drives and inspections at regular intervals to monitor and educate staff for
observance of safe practices.
However instances of such offences still prevail.

Q.4) How many trains operate in Mumbai on a daily basis?

Answer. More than 6 million people travel per day on Mumbai Suburban section alone.
Of the 2100 plus services run in Mumbai 1133 services which includes 589 twelve car
services are run by Western Railway with a phenomenal frequency of 3 minutes during
peak hours. Western Railways carries more than 3 million passengers per day. Western
Railways was first in the world to start an exclusive Ladies Special Train between
Church-gate and Virar. Western Railway is a pioneer in implementing the state of art
'Train Management System' (TMS) over its suburban section till Virar. TMS gives real
time in formation of train movement to commuters. The actual count down of train
expected in minutes is displayed at the stations with automatic announcements.

Q.4) What does The Railway budget 2009-10 & policies of Mamta Banarjee hold for
Mumbai?

Ans. Highlights of Rail Budget 2009-10.

• SMS updates to indicate berth and confirmation status

• E-ticketing simplified
• 49 stations of religious importance to be upgraded
• Tatkal scheme to be reduced from 5 days to 2 days
• No increase in passenger fares across classes
• Toilets to be similar to ones in aircrafts; facilities for every journey longer than 2
hours

11
• Multi-functional utilities like bookstores and STD booths will be made available
in stations
• Cold storage facilities for farmers to store produce
• Non-stop AC 'Turant' trains to be introduced
• 12 new 'Turant' AC sleeper trains between major metros
• Optic fiber network to be optimized
• Increase number of women commandos in key routes
• Hospitals to be developed for railway staff
• Girl child scholarship for Group B Rail employees Cold storage facilities to be
developed
• Mechanized laundry to be provided at key stations
• 11,000 MW power project for traction support
• Metro concession in Kolkata to minority students
• Launch of premium parcel service between 3 stations
• Total working expenditure estimated at Rs 81,685cr
• New scheme called 'Ijjat' for low income monthly travel
• Press correspondents to get 50% concession
• Commando unit to be raised, women unit will also be there
• Integrated security system for 140 sensitive stations
• ADGM of each zone will be responsible for supervision
• Ambulance services for passenger in metro cities to start with
• Ramps, special bogeys for physically challenged and senior citizens
• Rail over and under bridges : Centre-state funding to be reviewed
• Security will be priority : both on stations and on board
• 50 stations to be class-1 stations with world class facilities
• Doctors on long-distance trains
• Focus on cleaner trains
• Multi-function complexes in station premises
• Special facilities to be provided at 375 stations
• Air-conditioned double decker coaches will be rolled out for intercity commuters
• Passengers can now buy computerized tickets from over 5000 post-offices

12
 • ATMs on 200 mid and small sized stations
• New train information system to be started in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi
• Launch of premium parcel service between 3 stations
• New policy to allow private freight terminal
• Railways to lease out land for commercial purposes
• Special recruitment drive to fill up physically challenged posts
• Metro Rail Hospital in Tollygunj to be upgraded
• Mamata Banerjee presents Railway Budget 2009-2010

Passenger Amenities

• Press correspondents to be given 50% discount along with spouse

• Student concession: High Madrassa and Senior Madrassa students to be included
in discount scheme
• Rs 25 per month ticket without surcharge for unorganized sector employees under
‘Izzat’ scheme for people with salary up to 1500
• National sports persons to be preferred at in recruitment
• E-ticketing to be enhanced, simplified
• Unreserved ticketing terminals to be expanded from 5000 to 8000
• Automatic ticket vending machines to be increased
• Computerized issuance of tickets from 5000 post offices
• SMS updates to indicate berth and confirmation status
• Railways to develop cold storages for farmers to store vegetables and fruits
• Tests on environment friendly, green toilets
• Mobile ticketing vans for purchase in local markets: 50 such vans to be
introduced
• Vacuum toilets in trains
• Railway hospitals to be upgraded
• Ambulance services for passenger in metro cities to start
• Online infotainment services in major long distance trains including Rajdhani and
Shatabdi trains

13
 • PRS is now in 800 locations with more than 600 terminals, will cover 200
locations more
• All MPs can now identify one PRS location of their choice in their constituencies
• Automated ticketing vendors in 200 large stations
• AC double-decker coaches for intercity travel
• ADGM of each zone will be responsible for supervision
• At least one doctor in long distance trains
• Punctuality, safety, good food, water and toilet facilities. Also emphasis on
cleanliness
• To launch ‘janata khana’ with regional cuisines

Development Work

• Target mechanized maintenance of 3,500km in FY10

• Seven nursing colleges to be set up on railway land in places including Delhi,
Kolkata and Mumbai.
• 50 stations to be upgraded to world class standards (list at the end)
• 49 stations to be developed al pilgrim centers
• Railway medical colleges to be developed along with rail hospitals on public-
private partnership.
• Multi-functional complexes with shopping malls, food stalls, medicines and
variety stores in different parts of the country.
• A new coach factory with state-of-the-art facilities, exclusively for manufacturing
500 coaches per annum to be set up at Kanchrapara in West Bengal.
• Work on coach factory in Rae Bareli to be speeded up.
• Mega logistics hubs in Eastern and Western corridors
• Colleges on Rail land on Public-Private Partnership
• To set up 1000 MW power plant
• 309 out of 375 stations will be developed with modern facilities
• Optic fiber network to be optimized
• Rail over and under bridges: Centre-state funding to be reviewed
• To put railways land to productive use along freight corridor

14
 • Private operation of freight terminals will be encouraged
• To use Rail Land Bank for industrial purpose
• Viability study for 4 new dedicated freight corridors
• Freight and wagons
• 18,000 wagons to be acquired during the current year, says Banerjee.
• Plan to improve workshop efficiency
• Upgradation of railway printing presses
• Mega logistics hubs proposed
• Premium freight services
• Tuglakabad and Chennai
• Tuglakabad to Mumbai
• Tuglakabad to Howrah

Trains

• High-capacity air-conditioned double-decker trains to be introduced on select

inter-city routes, says Banerjee.
• Superfast parcel express trains to be started on a pilot basis between Delhi and
Chennai and Delhi and Mumbai.
• Now in south, south western railways in 2 years
• Yuva train: AC seat @ Rs 299 up to 1500 kms and Rs 399 for up to 2500 kms
• Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Kolkata
• Plan warehouses to curb wastage of perishable freight
• New Coach Factory Kacharapara, West Bengal
• Only ladies special trains in Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai
• ‘Turonto’ Trains to be introduced. These will be non-stop trains between major
stations. 12 new AC sleeper non-stop trains

Stations to be given World-Class facilities

• In Mumbai only CST

15
Body of report:

Analysis & Interpretation of data collected

Interpretation of research project

Demographic factors

The above mentioned graph shows
occupation status of Mumbai people
travelling by train. According to the
survey conducted 53% of people in
service, 13% are in business & 34%
people are in other occupation.
According to the age group of 21-
30,31-40,40 & above the people
travel by train are 66% ,17%,17%
respectively. People belonging to the
21-30 age range are the youngsters.

16
According to our survey People who
According to our survey
travel by western railway are more in
Mumbaikar’s travelling in local
numbers as compare to central &
trains are composed more number
harbor railways that is 72 % people
of male population than of women
travel by western route than of 26%
population that is 65% of male &
of central & 2% of harbor.
35% of women.

Analysis

1. How often do you travel by local trains in Mumbai?

According to our analysis 74% people

are daily local train travelers,
whereas10% people travel weekly, 12%
travel monthly & 4% travel annually.
Daily local train travelers are more in
numbers because traveling by train is
convenient mode of transport and it is an
inexpensive mode.

17
2. Is travelling by train the most convenient option for you against buses?

47% people of the sample size have chosen

traveling by trains is most convenient option
against buses. Whereas 35% people strongly
agree for choosing train as best option over
other modes of transport. 12% are neither
agree nor disagree, 4% are reluctant to rate
railway as best travelling option & 2% are
strongly disagree for travelling by train.

3. Do the trains run as per schedule?

8% of the total target audience found the

trains running rarely as per scheduled
whereas 12% says the trains are always as
per scheduled.21% people faces great
incontinence due to irregular railway
schedule where 27% found sometimes
railways run as per schedule, 32% said
that occasionally trains are coming on
time.

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Reasons:
 The infrastructure of Mumbai railways is ancient which was developed by British
people in their age & is not meeting the present requirements of Mumbai
railways.
 Also the outdated technology & poor condition of trains contribute to non-
punctuality of locals.
 Even the accidents which occur on tracks can delay trains from their schedule as
on an average 10 people die on daily basis while travelling by train or crossing
track.

4. Are the tickets priced fairly?

From the above diagram it is describe that 70%

of people said that ticket prices of railways are
fair. According to 10% of people prices of
railway tickets are not fair.20% of population are
confused between the price they neither agree nor
disagree with fair prices of railway tickets.

19
 5. Do you find adequate seating space arrangement while you travel?

In the above diagram 14% people says that they always get the seat in train while
traveling. 32% of them never got the place to seat in the trains while travelling, 15% got
the seat occasionally.17% of people got place rarely and 22% got sometimes place for
seat.
Reasons:
 4,700 passengers are packed into a 9-car rake during peak hours, as against the
rated carrying capacity of 1,700 which creates the problem of inadequate seating
space arrangement.

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6. Are the train compartments adequately spaced to handle the huge
amount passengers?

The train compartments adequately spaced to handle the massive amount of passenger’s
for this statement Only 5% of people strongly agree and about 16% of them are strongly
disagree. About 22% of people are agreeing and 35% are disagreeing with the statement.
Almost 22% of people are confused they are not either agree or disagree.
Reasons:

 A Mumbai local train’s compartments capacity of carrying passengers is 200.

 During peak hrs. train compartment is completely packed with 450 & more
passengers.
 This has resulted in what is known as Super-Dense Crush Load of 14 to 16
standing passengers per square meter of floor space.

21
7. Are railways platforms spacious enough to handle the crowd during the peak time?

From the above diagram 52% of people

disagree for the capacity of railway
platform to handle the crowed during the
pick time. About 23% of people saying
there is adequate place on platform to
handle the crowed in pick time. 20% of
the people puzzled between yes or no.

Reason:
 Again the reason for this scenario is same i.e. the infrastructure of Mumbai
railways has not been modified from decades to meet the current requirements of
passengers.

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8. a) Do you feel it’s worth value paying for the first class travel than in

second class?

According to above diagram 58% of people

saying no it’s not worth value paying more for
first class travel than second class.34% of people
said yes for pay for first class than second class is
worth value. 8% people cannot say anything
about this situation.

Reason:
 The fair of 1st class ticket is much higher than 2nd class fair which in turn leads to
fewer crowds in 1st class compartments which then leads to comfortable travel
than the 2nd class compartment.

b) If no then what makes you travel in 2nd class

56% of overall people said that the prices

charged for first class compartment make
them to travel by 2nd class. Bogies are too
less for the first class this making 31%
people to travel by 2nd class. Because of
some other problem 13% people are
travels by second class.

23
9. Rate the cleanliness in the COMPARTMENTS of Mumbai local trains
according to the scale given below?

From the above diagram 36% people

remarked the cleanliness of compartment
in local is poor. 27% of people are
satisfied with cleanliness of compartment.
20% of them remarked good and 9%
saying very good for cleanliness of
compartment. Only 3% is saying it is
excellent and 5% saying it is worst.

Reason:
 The fact which many of the people are not aware of is, each & every operating
local train in Mumbai is washed in morning 3 o’clock in train car-sheds from
outside & inside. But these are the people of Mumbai who are creating the mess
with some of their unhygienic habits like spitting anywhere & throwing garbage
wherever they want.

24
10.Rate the cleanliness on the PLATFORM of Mumbai local trains
according to the scale given below?

From the above diagram 28% people remarked

the cleanliness of platforms of local trains is
poor. 33% of people are satisfied with
cleanliness of platforms. 21% of them remarked
good and 8% saying very good for cleanliness of
compartment. Only 4% is saying it is excellent
and 6% saying it is worst
.

11.After 11/7 railways bomb blast did you see any changes in the railway
security of railway administration?

According to survey 57% people

says no for security of railways,
platforms,station. About 29%
people seen changes in security of
railway administration. 14% said
cannot say.

Reasons:
 Even after receiving threat & warning calls from terrorists & other unsocial
elements regarding bomb-blasting of trains & platforms railway authorities of
Mumbai did not pay that much attention towards security measurements. Due to
this the Mumbaikars have lost their faith in railway officials.

25
12. Have you witnessed / heard of a quick response from railways authority to
medicate the injured person within few minutes of the train accident?

From the above diagram 57% people

said no for quick response from railway
authority to medicate the injured person
within few minutes of the train
accident.34% people were not been in
such a situation. Only 9% are saying
there is quick response from railway
authority towards injured people.

Reasons:
 The railway staff is not trained properly to handle such situations & even they are
not equipped with the required medical facilities.
 The perfect example of this can be 11/7 bomb-blasts where Mumbaikars helped
each other to carry injured people to hospitals or to treat them with medical aid.

13. Have you ever lost your valuables while travelling in local trains?

41% of people were lost their

valuables while traveling in local
train. Huge amount of people that
is 59% people saying they had been
not yet in such a situation.

26
14. Give rating to the following scale for the security arrangement on railway station for
theft & other things

35% passengers have given poor ratings to the

security arrangement on railway station for theft
& other things. 12% said that it is worst for theft
security on railway station. Whereas 4% saying
excellent , 5% saying very good, 15% saying
good and finally 29% saying it is a satisfactory
about theft security on railway stations.

Reasons:
 The main problem of India “Corruption”, even leads to poor security
arrangements for theft & other things as some of the railway police officers are
with the thieves to earn extra money from them in the form of commission.
 Even not coming to duty on time or not performing duty properly has lead to
dissatisfaction from Mumbaikars.

27
15. Do you face any problem while travelling with your spouse in the same
compartment?

According to above pie chart 39% people don’t

face any problem while travelling with their
spouse in the same compartment, 26% said yes
and 35% said sometimes/maybe when they
travelling with their spouse. Most of the people
don’t face any problem while travelling with
their spouse in the same compartment but still
more number of passengers face inconvenience
due to inadequate space, heavy rush.

16. Have you experienced any kind of misbehavior from railway authority? (Ticket
collector or checker)
48% of Mumbaikar’s train traveler said that they
had not experienced any misbehavior from railway
authority. 30% said yes that they face misbehavior
from railway authority.22% of people cannot say
anything about the behavior of the railway
authority. This states that the railway staff shows
understanding towards the passengers needs. Also
they help in many critical situations. On the other
part they also have to be trained on their
communication skills & should be honest.

28
17. Give remarks to the following scale for the services provided by the railway
authority.

39% of the population is satisfy with the

services provided by the railway
authority.23% said good, 5% said very good
and 5% said excellent for services provided
by railway authority. 8% saying it is worst
services provider and 20% people said it is
poor service provider. That indicates
services provided by railway authority are
sufficient enough but still they have to
improve on their services & infrastructure be
competent.

Questionnaire no 2
Traveling dangerously in Local train
1. Have you ever travelled without a ticket?

According to our survey 77% of the

population is travel in local trains with
tickets, 21% travel occasionally
without ticket whereas only 2% always
travel without ticket. That indicates
more number of people is aware of &
abides by railways rules.

29
Q.2 Do you stand close to the edge of the railway platforms while waiting for local
trains?

According to above pie chart 66% people

refused to stand near to the edge of the
railway platforms while waiting for local
trains due to the risk factor, 23% travelers
stand near the edge occasionally mainly
while waiting for the train, whereas 11%
always stand near to the edge of the railway
platforms mainly to get into the
compartment & for reserving the seat.

Q. 3. Do you board a compartment, even though it is crowded?

According to the primary data 35%

of population never board crowded
train compartment, 42% board the
compartment occasionally due to
less number of trains are available
to their destination. Whereas 23%
are the regular travelers who
always board crowded
compartment.

30
Reasons:
Mumbaikar’s has to board crowded train compartments as trains on the suburban line are
on average more than 4 minutes apart & in order to stay on time to their respective works
they have no option.

Q4. I have to push and shove to board the train compartment.

According to the data 45% of population

occasionally has to push & shove while
boarding the train compartment because
railways are not sufficient to handle
Mumbai’s huge population, 32% never push
as they prefer safe traveling they are not the
regular passengers where as 23% population
has to always push & shove at the time of
boarding the compartment during peak time.

Q5 Do you hang near the footboard while the Mumbai Local train is moving?
According to our survey 65% of population
never hangs near the footboard while the
Mumbai Local train is moving because most
of the accidents occur due to hanging near
footboard & they prefer safe traveling
whereas 28% hang occasionally as they
don’t find adequate space to stand inside the
compartment, & 7% hangs always because
they are used to for the same.

31
Q. 6. Do you hang near the footboard while the Mumbai Local train is moving even when
there is adequate seating space?

According to primary data 64% of

population never hangs near the footboard
while train is moving & adequate seating
space is available in the compartment as
they prefer to sit & relax. Whereas 31%
people occasionally hang near the
footboard as train compartments are not
adequately spaced to handle the huge
amount passengers & 5% always hang for
the enjoyment or show off.

Q.7.When I am in a hurry I cross the railway tracks.

According to the survey 75% of people

don’t cross the railway tracks even they
are in hurry or are getting late as they
don’t want to bear risk of life by crossing
the tracks & are aware of the railway
rules, 21% cross railway tracks
occasionally during the peak time for
getting the train on time & 4% always
cross railway tracks who are mainly the
hawkers, venders

32
Presentations of findings and tentative conclusion

Is traveling by trains the most How often do you travel by local

convenient option for you against trains in Mumbai?
buses

dailytraveller
35
30
25
20
male
15
female 65%
10 35%
5
0
strongly male female
19 16
agree
agree
The above 32 shows 15
mentioned graph that about how much percentage are Mumbai
local trains are preferred over the BEST buses by Mumbai’s public and following
is the pie chart which reflects the percentage of Mumbaikar’s who travels daily
by Mumbai local trains because of its low fare and faster mode .

33
Have you witnessed / heard of a Give ratings for the services
quick response from railways provided by the railway
authority to medicate the injured authority
person within few minutes of the
train accident?

40

16
15
35
14 12
30
12
25 yes 10
8
7
20
no 5
6
15 3
not been in 4
10 situation 2
1

5 0
male female
0 of the lack of flexibility of Mumbai local authority to medicate the victim is
Because
Maleare the
poor following Female
ratings given for poor service ofsatisfactory poor
the railway authority. worst

34
 Q Do you stand close to the edge of
Q Are railways platforms spacious the railway platforms while waiting
enough to handle the crowd during for local trains?
the peak time?

15
NO

10
Female
50% Male
50% 5

male
female

always occassionally

The maximum number of Mumbaikar’s feels that platforms of Mumbai are not spacious
enough to handle the crowd during the peak time due to which they stand or have to stand
at edge of the platform. The following chart will reflect the numbers

35
 Are the train compartments adequately
spaced to handle the huge amount
Do trains as per schedule? passengers?

Never Occasionally
20
Sometimes Rarely 20
18 17
14
16 15
12 14 12
12 11 11
10
10
8 8 8
6 5 5
4
4
2 0
3 0
2 male female
1
disagree stronglydisagree
neutral agree
male female
stronglyagree

Most of the Mumbaikar’s occasionally aboard a compartment think that Mumbai local
trains are seldomely as per the schedule due to which the compartments of locals get
filled by the crowd coming late and are unable to accommodate the whole lot of
passengers during peak timings. The right hand side graph shows the effect of people
responding more towards trains having less capacity.

36
 Cross Tabulation

Ratings cleanliness in compartments and on platforms of Mumbai.

40 36
35 33

30 27 28

25 21
20
20

15
9 8
10 6
5 4
5 3

0
Compartment Platform

Excellent Very good Good

In the above mentioned graph it shows the rating given by Mumbaikar’s for cleanliness in
satisfactory Poor Worst
Compartment's and platforms of Mumbai local trains. Majority of respondents have rated
satisfactory for cleanliness and poor for cleanliness on the platforms this mean that
commuters are satisfied with cleanliness in compartment but are unhappy with
cleanliness on platforms this is due to lack of services provided by railways authority in
connection to cleanliness. And Plus rules and regulation are not strictly followed made by
railway authority.

37
Rating by Mumbaikar’s about the services provided in connection to
security arrangement

Excellent Verygood Good Satisfactory Poor Worst

39
35
29

23
15 20
12
4 5 9
5 5

securityarrangement
services

In the above mentioned graph it shows the rating given by Mumbaikar’s about the
services provided in connection to security arrangement by railway authority. Majority of
respondents have rated poor for the security arrangement on railways station for theft &
other things and satisfactory for the services provided by railway authority. This mean
that though people are satisfied with services of railway authority still there is a need to
improvise on security part of it as security arrangement is very poor.

38
Below given is the rating given by respondents about the improper
scheduling of trains which leads to inadequate seating while travelling

Always Never Occasionally Sometimes Rarely

32 32

27

21 22

17
14 15
12
8

Trainsrun as per schedule Adequateseating

arrangement while
The Mumbai local trains are not as per schedule (differencetravelling
of 5 to 10 mins
app) which leads to the higher flow of passengers and trains getting jam
packed resulting to inadequate sitting facility.

39
Below given is the graph showing the cause and effect relationship…

Always occasionally Never

43 45

36
31

21 23

To aboard in a To push to aboard the

comparment even traincompartment
though
The above graphs reflect it is crowded
that because the trains compartments are packed and there is no
space to move people have to push and shove to get in the compartment to find a space

40
Limitations

When one undertakes a research project of such magnitude, one is bound to face a certain
degree of barriers and problems. Our team could collect a limited sample as a sample of
larger size was not feasible. Generating primary data and getting the accurate numbers for
our report was a difficult task. Relative inexperience of the team members in making
research projects was also a challenge.

41
 Conclusion

From this survey we were able to understand the importance of Mumbai local trains in
the life of the Mumbaikar’s. We understood why Mumbai railways are called the lifeline
of Mumbaikar’s and why is it so special to all. We also understood that railways are the
one which carries the maximum amount of passengers than any other mode of transport
and its economical than others. In our survey we found that though Mumbaikar’s loved to
travel through railways they were having some complaints about it which we tried to
cover in our project. We got to know that people wanted some changes in the system of
the regulation of railways authority and scheduling of local trains. The Mumbaikar’s
where pretty happy to travel by railways than other mode as they thought it was the
quickest mode of transport. But they were not assure about the safety of to travel by
railway’s especially after 7/11 attack on railways. Mumbaikar’s also wanted the coaches
of railway trains to be increased so as to handle the ever growing population of Mumbai.
By this project we understood some deadly facts about the accident occurring due to
unaware trespasser the amount of casualties due to various reasons related to traveling in
local trains were very high. Such that every day 10 people were died in the railways
mishap. Mumbai is the busies city the city which never sleeps and to run the city
MUMBAI LOCAL TRAINS play an important role.

42
 Recommendations

To Railway Authority- After the survey it is being found that the common
Mumbaikar’s are very unhappy about the functioning of Mumbai railway authorities.
They want every person in the department to be flexible and should have ready to help
attitude which is lacking in most of the personnel in the department. We say this on the
basis of an Example:- we found during making our survey that the person sitting near the
ticket window was not effective enough to disperse the crowd standing in front of his
window though he may had been efficient he was not effective enough to handle the
crowd due to which many people there ended up shouting and hauling and creating a
mess near the ticket window. This is one of the problem that Mumbaikar’s face
supporting this there are many such problems like trains do not run on time due to lack of
efficiency in drafting the schedule of the daily frequency of local trains ,lack punctuality
in mainting the complaint records and solving the problems as soon as possible ,failing in
stopping the theft rate in local trains we support this statement with the following current
data on theft and robbery.Of the 2,343 offences lodged last year, 1,675 were solved. The
rate of detection in 2009 was 71% as opposed to 75% in 2008 and 74% in 2007. The
recovery rate of stolen property was 46% last year, while it was 41% in 2008 and 39% in
2007. Cases of chain snatching, bag lifting, mobile theft and drugging passengers have
surged.To bring down the unhappiness between the common Mumbaikar’s following
steps should be taken.

The first agenda of the Mumbai railways authority should be to tighten the security on the
platforms and in the trains as Mumbai is now becoming a soft target for the
terrorists and local trains are the best options to cut down Mumbai’s daily life.
The railways should see that the arrival and departure time of railways are strictly
followed so as to minimize the flowing crowd.
Young blood with ready to help attitude person should be employed so that flexibility in
work could be brought in.
Strict measures should be taken against the people crossing the railway tracks.

43
TO THE MUMBAIKAR’S -The survey revealed us the part of the situation in which
the public of Mumbai were themselves in fault. It meant that there was a other side of a
coin. In which the Mumbaikar’s loved to travel dangerously even thought enough
measures were taken Mumbaikar’s loved to take risk and put their life on edge and travel
dangerously. When we were collecting the questioner we found that though there was
seats available to sit people were hanging on the doors. Which showed that only railway
authority was not responsible for most of the accident which took place due to people
falling from the train when they were hanging outside. We should realize importance of
our life and should take the proper measures to travel safely. For which following
measure should be taken by every passenger traveling in Mumbai local trains.

The person should leave early so that he can get into other train if h misses the train
which is packed, instead of leaving his on time and unnecessarily catching the
crowded train and traveling dangerously.
He should wait for train to stop instead of getting in before the train stop which is highly
risky.
He should go from the overhead bridge instead of crossing the railway tracks blindly.
He should avoid traveling on the rooftops of the trains as it lead to instead death if that
person comes into contact with the overhead cable.

44
Appendix
1) Forms and questionnaires used for data collection
2) Tables, charts, graphs prepared on the basis of data collected

References and bibliography: -

www.searchindia.com/search/mumbai.../mumbai-train.html
http://www-proxy.bryant.edu/~jcurran/Report.html
http://www.indianrail.gov.in/
www.paidsurveys.co.in/
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=51548
http://www.emt-india.net/eca2009/AwardBooklet2009/f-
Railways457-482.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_Suburban_Railway#cite_not
e-2
http://www.irfca.org/articles/mumbai-locals.html

45
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