Taking the local train

When living in Britain, I travelled on a commuter train between Cambridge and London several times a week, which perhaps makes it yet more surprising that, ten months after arriving, we had not taken a local train in Mumbai.

Local trains in Mumbai are a different beast from the long distance chuggers that I have written about in previous blog posts.  The Mumbai local train network is famous for being chronically overcrowded and hence often dangerous; several people die on local trains every day in Mumbai.  This is usually a result of hanging out of doors or on the roof and falling off.  Below is a picture of what trains look like at a peak times on the rail network.

Travelling by train in Mumbai

 

Travelling on a local train was, though, an experience on our to-do list (honestly, it was an experience on Philip's to do list) and we decided that 730am on Easter Sunday was as good a time as any.

 

We travelled from our local station, Bandra, down to Churchgate in South Mumbai, for the princely sum of 10 rupees a ticket.  We travelled in standard class and went together in the mixed carriage (there are also Ladies' only carriages) which was fine for the time of day.  The train was moderately busy by English standards, not so by Indian standards, and we had plenty of room standing up.

 

The journey took about 25 minutes and the train doors are simply open spaces.  This is good for getting a breeze though the carriage but not so good for sensitive noses when travelling through less-than-fragrant areas.  Getting on and off trains seems to happen only when the train is still moving, but they don't move quickly, so this doesn't seem to be too dangerous at quiet times of day.

 

Bandra Station - It looks nicer outside than in...

Holding on tightly 

People crowded around the open door whilst in motion 

Our tickets - 10 rupees a pop

 

The experience was better and easier than I had expected, I would do it again at quiet times of day, though will be sticking to the car at other times.

 

Phil however felt that he had found his feet and decided to try the trains again later in the week, on Election Day in Mumbai when Sagar was on holiday.  I was working from home as my office was shut - Phil had a meeting in the south at 3pm.  When Phil returned home at 5pm he was looking rather sheepish.  Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to work out where to buy a ticket on the way back and a (supposedly) friendly local had told him to get on the train and not worry about the ticket.  Phil duly took his advice, but was stopped at Bandra and fined 250 rupees for his omission, more than the cost of a taxi!  Oh dear.  It was a learning experience and we'll know for next time.