key points:
- The Western Railway said in a letter to the state on Thursday that it can transport a maximum of 9.6 lakh commuters even if it operated all 1,367 suburban services, while the Central Railway said only 12.4 lakh passengers can be ferried even if it operated all 1,776 services.
- WR also added that it will be able to ferry not more than 9.06 lakh passengers daily in 1,367 trains, far less than the 35 lakh passengers that traveled in pre-Covid days.
Both Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) have pointed out that social distancing rules preclude carrying more than 21.46 lakh commuters daily even with the full complement of services compared to the 80 lakh traffic in pre-Covid times.
Each train is now meant for a maximum of 700 passengers, far less than the ‘super-dense rush load’ of 5,000 seen in morning and evening hours until March.
Maharashtra government’s recent letter seeking restoration of more services and access to the general public has prompted railways to remind the state that access control is the key, given the sheer volume of passengers likely to descend on the city’s stations once they are thrown open to everyone.
WR and CR have said they are willing to resume full services, provided technology is deployed for crowd management.
CR wrote, “We do not have any issue in increasing the number of services from existing 706 to 1774 (maximum possible)… issues of separation/segregation of passengers thus enabling social distancing has to be ensured by the state government by technological solution or app… even if we start all 1,774 services, we can transport a maximum of 12.4 lakh passenger daily, which is much less than the 45 lakh passengers…in the pre-Covid regime.”
WR also said it will be able to ferry not more than 9.06 lakh passengers daily in 1,367 trains, far less than the 35 lakh passengers that traveled in pre-Covid days.
The government’s proposal to the railways involves setting aside peak hour slots for essential workers and the rest of the day for the general public. The plan presumes that non-peak hour traffic will be manageable even if all sections of society are allowed to board trains. But even with the restrictions in place now, more than 8,5 lakh commuters are using local trains (see graphic) -the average passenger load per train is already more than 600. If more access is permitted, the fear is the numbers will shoot up.
So color-coded pass system, based on a model used in the Kolkata metro, has been recommended for use. WR said the government is considering developing such an app.
State officials said a meeting will be held in a day or two to work out the details. “Government has fixed the timings in a way to avoid crowding. We will sit with railways and work out a way” said Mumbai guardian minister Aslam Shaikh
