Mumbai's commute to hell: How commuter woes get magnified on Harbour Line

Mumbairsquos Harbour line remains the neglected arm of the cityrsquos rail network plagued by overcrowding delays and poor infrastructure As part of middayrsquos lsquoCommute To Hellrsquo campaign we followed two Kharghar residentsmdashKrishna Khadgi a 59yearold cricket coach and Jasbir Singh a 64yearold senior citizenmdashon their daily struggle to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT From battling for autos to squeezing into packed trains their commute reveals the harsh realities of Harbour line travelKrishna leaving his residence for Kharghar station PicAnurag AhireMIDDAY followed Krishna Khadgi a resident of Kharghar Sector 16 Krishna is a cricket coach and has to commute frequently to CSMT He usually boards the 849 am Wadala local later switching to a CSMT local at Guru Tej Bahadur GTB Nagar station or directly takes the 856 am CSMT localKrishna Khadgi 59 Kharghar Sector 16 ResidentGetting a rickshaw A daily struggleKrishna travelling by rickshaw to Kharghar station on February 18 PicAnurag AhireKhadgi leaves his home around 800 am to board a train from Kharghar station He said ldquoShared autos to the station are usually full forcing us to take a special rickshaw which costs Rs 60ndashRs 70 depending on the driver But even these are often occupied making it a frustrating task to get one during morning peak hoursrdquoRushhour bottlenecksKrishna right waiting for a train at Kharghar railway station PicAnurag AhireTrains from Panvel arrive jampacked see some relief after Vashi but become overcrowded again at Govandi and Kurla ldquoThe rush is so bad that even standing inside is a struggle let alone movingrdquo he saidTrains packed to the brimKrishna in green Tshirt entering Kharghar railway stationTrains arriving from Panvel bound for CSMT or Wadala are already packed leaving little to no space for passengers boarding at Kharghar ldquoThe trains are always full and the frequency is not as good as the Central or Western linesrdquo said Khadgi ldquoWe often have to miss trains simply because therersquos no room to boardrdquo On the day midday shadowed him Khadgi had to skip the 849 am Wadala local as it was already overflowing before reaching Kharghar He eventually managed to board the 856 am CSMT localTrains in poor conditionAccording to Khadgi many Harbour line trains are in poor shape due to inadequate maintenance ldquoThis only adds to our miseryrdquo he said ldquoRailway authorities should replace old trains with newer rakesrdquo he addedFewer direct trains to CSMTWith limited PanvelCSMT locals passengers are often forced to take Wadala locals and switch trains at GTB Nagar or Wadala ldquoI request the Railways to increase the frequency of PanvelCSMT locals and introduce some originating from Kharghar to ease the crowdingrdquo he said Krishnarsquos commute back Krishna after his coaching sessions usually boards afternoon trains for his return journey He said ldquoI generally take trains post12 noon as they are less crowded I avoid evening trains because they are as packed as the morning onesrdquoLastmile commuteJasbir Singh at Masjid station PicsPrasun ChoudhariKrishna takes a shared auto from Kharghar station to his residence However if one is unavailable he is forced to take a special auto which costs R60ndash R 70 depending on the driverJasbir Singh 64 Kharghar Sector 34C residentJasbir Singh a senior citizen who has commuted on the Harbour line for over 45 years relies on a walking stick but still travels daily from Kharghar to CSMT for workThe journey to Kharghar stationSingh a resident of Sector 34C leaves home around 810 am and walks five minutes to the main road where he waits for a shared auto from Taloja ldquoShared rickshaws are often full making it difficult to get one during peak hoursrdquo he said He reaches Kharghar station taking a share rickshaw a journey of approximately 65 kmDecades of struggle little improvementJasbir Singh in turban deboarding the train at CSMTSingh summed up his 45year experience ldquoThe situation has barely improved in 30 years Trains are always overcrowded making it impossible for senior citizens like me to reach the reserved seats Younger passengers often occupy them leaving us with no choice but to standrdquoTrain travel No space no seatsThe 837 am CSMT local from Panvel was running seven minutes late and was packed before reaching Kharghar Many passengers including senior citizens were seen clinging to the doors due to the lack of space Singh had to wait for the next trainJasbir Singh waiting for a CSMTbound train at GTB Nagar stationThe 849 am Wadala local also running late was just as overcrowded Singh and this reporter managed to board but the senior citizen seats were inaccessible due to the crowd He finally found a seat after crossing Nerul but until then he had to stand with his walking stickTo avoid climbing the footbridge at Wadala Singh got off at GTB Nagar and waited for a CSMTbound train The 938 am local from Vashi also delayed was so full that Singh again had to stand for the rest of his journeyJasbirrsquos commute backJasbir typically boards the evening Panvel local He said ldquoThe frequency of CSMTPanvel locals is lower compared to CSMTGoregaon locals This creates problems for passengers like me who need to travel to Kharghar or beyond The trains are already crowded and the rush increases at Wadala making the commute very difficultrdquoThe crowded train Krishna takes PicAnurag AhireTrains Jasbir frequently takesJasbir generally takes the 612 pm Panvel local 626 pm Panvel local or 633 pm Panvel local from CSMT He manages to get the place to sit as he boards the train from the starting point The trains however get crowded as the journey progressesLastmile commuteJasbir Singh either takes the Metro or a shared auto from Kharghar station It usually takes 10ndash15 minutes to find a shared auto Reader SpeakIQBAL GILANI MANSURIAll compartments must have automatic doors to prevent footboard travel stunts and theft by bamboo gangs A parallel overhead corridor will ease peakhour congestion and more coaches should be added considering platform compatibility and short stopsBAL GOVINDThis ordeal is shared by millions of fellow commuters in Mumbai locals It is high time authorities concerned start treating them as humans and put commuters safety as their topmost priorityPETER CASTELLINOTrains are crowded on weekends and holidays Key station terminuses separate train lines affordable AC doubledeckers disciplined railways fair PROs and sting operations can ensure train journeys become smooth and enjoyable experiences