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.

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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.

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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?

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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

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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.

The Field Survey helped us contact our target audience and receive their input which was

vital to our survey for generating primary data.

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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

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,

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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

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

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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

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

12

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

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

13

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

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.

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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

Body of report:

15

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.

16

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.

According to our survey People who

travel by western railway are more in

numbers as compare to central &

harbor railways that is 72 % people

travel by western route than of 26%

of central & 2% of harbor.

Analysis

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

17

According to our survey

Mumbaikar’s travelling in local

trains are composed more

number of male population than

of women population that is

65% of male & 35% of women.

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.

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

3. Do the trains run as per schedule?

18

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.

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.

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?

19

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.

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.

20

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?

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.

22

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.

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

second class?

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

23

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.

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.

9. Rate the cleanliness in the COMPARTMENTS of Mumbai local trains

according to the scale given below?

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

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.

10.Rate the cleanliness on the PLATFORM of Mumbai local trains

according to the scale given below?

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

security of railway administration?

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

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

.

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.

12. Have you witnessed / heard of a quick response from railways authority to

medicate the injured person within few minutes of the train accident?

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?

26

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.

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.

14. Give rating to the following scale for the security arrangement on railway station for

theft & other things

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

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.

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

compartment?

16. Have you experienced any kind of misbehavior from railway authority? (Ticket

collector or checker)

28

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.

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.

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

authority.

Questionnaire no 2

Traveling dangerously in Local train

1. Have you ever travelled without a ticket?

29

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.

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.

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

trains?

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

30

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.

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.

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.

Q5 Do you hang near the footboard while the Mumbai Local train is moving?

31

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.

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.

Q. 6. Do you hang near the footboard while the Mumbai Local train is moving even when

there is adequate seating space?

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

32

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.

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

Presentations of findings and tentative conclusion

Is traveling by trains the most convenient option for you against

buses

The above mentioned graph shows 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

How often do you travel by local trains in Mumbai?

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

Because of the lack of flexibility of Mumbai local authority to medicate the victim is

poor following are the ratings given for poor service of the railway authority.

34

Give ratings for the services provided by the railway authority

Q Are railways platforms spacious enough to handle the crowd during the peak time?

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

NO

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

Do trains as per schedule?

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

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

Cross Tabulation

Ratings cleanliness in compartments and on platforms of Mumbai.

In the above mentioned graph it shows the rating given by Mumbaikar’s for cleanliness in

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.

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

security arrangement

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.

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Below given is the rating given by respondents about the improper

scheduling of trains which leads to inadequate seating while travelling

The Mumbai local trains are not as per schedule (difference of 5 to 10 mins

app) which leads to the higher flow of passengers and trains getting jam packed

resulting to inadequate sitting facility.

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

The above graphs reflect 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

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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.

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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.

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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.

i. 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.

ii. The railways should see that the arrival and departure time of railways are

strictly followed so as to minimize the flowing crowd.

iii. Young blood with ready to help attitude person should be employed so that

flexibility in work could be brought in.

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iv. Strict measures should be taken against the people crossing the railway tracks.

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.

i. 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.

ii. He should wait for train to stop instead of getting in before the train stop which is

highly risky.

iii. He should go from the overhead bridge instead of crossing the railway tracks

blindly.

iv. 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.

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Appendix1) Forms and questionnaires used for data collection2) 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.htmlhttp://www.indianrail.gov.in/www.paid survey s.co.in/ http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=51548 http://www.emt-india.net/eca2009/AwardBooklet2009/f-Railways457-482.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_Suburban_Railway#cite_note-2http://www.irfca.org/articles/mumbai-locals.html

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