Millions (and by millions I
mean more than 7 million) of people use the Mumbai local trains to commute
every day. Statistically, trains in Mumbai carry a whopping 265% of its
capacity during peak hours and this results in what is known as Super
Dense Crush Load of 14-16 passengers per square meter of
the trains' floor space! If this statistic doesn’t sound whacky enough check
this one out - more than 10 people die in train
accidents every single day(don’t trust me? check WikiPedia). 10
fatalities per day is not just a statistic but a brutal reality that a common
man has to go through while travelling in Mumbai local trains each day.
And these mishaps have become such commonplace that the people travelling
everyday consider it a rule of thumb - this is how it is and if you have to
survive in Mumbai, you have to go through this! Everyone feels it
should not be the way it is, but no one knows what can be done to
avoid the same. People who travel can't do much, and the people who can
(politicians/ bureaucrats/ policy makers) don't feel the pinch because they
don't use these transport mediums.
People in Mumbai are called
true-spirited citizens because they move on with an accident or an incident
with great comfort and they (apparently) don't get bogged down by such harsh
realities. But the truth is people in Mumbai do not have an option! It's more
of a compulsion than a choice. People choose to commute in the trains because
local trains are the cheapest, fastest and most connected transport system in
Mumbai. Eric Hoffer once said – “Every new adjustment is a crisis in
self-esteem”. Imagine the self-esteem of millions of people who have to
“adjust” every single day of their life to travel through these Mumbai local trains.
If only they had a choice!
Check out these videos i found on
youtube:
