At least allow fully jabbed on Mumbai local trains, passengers association demands

Decision of not allowing the general public to commute by local trains has irked passenger associations

While the Uddhav Thackeray-led government has chosen not to reopen local trains for general public amid worries over safety, commuters are getting desperate in the absence of a transport network that can cater to such a huge number of travellers daily.

The Mumbai suburban train network is shut due to Covid-19 pandemic for over 15 months. (HT PHOTO)

The Mumbai suburban train network is shut due to Covid-19 pandemic for over 15 months. Before the local trains were closed for general public in April 2020, about 8 million people used to travel by the suburban network. The suburban network is a mass transit system spread across 456km and connects the city to the expanding Mumbai Metropolitan Region through 140 stations. With an annual ridership of nearly 2.9 billion, Mumbai’s local trains are one of the world’s busiest mass transit systems – 3,141 train services were operated on the Central and Western Railway before the pandemic.

The network is suspended for the general public for the second time in over three months. Train services were suspended on April 15 after an increase in cases in the city. Earlier, the local train network was suspended for 10 months in March 2020 owing to the spread of coronavirus and resumed only in February 2021.

However, even as the state partially lifted the lockdown restrictions from August 3, it chose not to reopen local train travel for general public.

The decision of not allowing the general public to commute by local trains has irked passenger associations who had asked the Maharashtra government to permit fully vaccinated passengers to travel by local trains.

The associations have stated that commuters approach them desperately daily.

“Local trains are the only way through which the general public can commute. Not only do the trains save time, but it is also the most affordable public transport. The government is allowing shops to stay open till 10pm. People working in shops in the city come from areas like Thane, Mulund, Karjat and Kasara. They do not have the money to travel everyday by buses for hours to reach their workplace. This is why we have demanded that vaccinated passengers be allowed to travel by local trains,” said Subash Gupta, ex-member of National Railway Users Consultative Council (NRUCC) and president of Rail Yatri Parishad.

Another passengers’ association has called for a protest at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on August 15. “We will register our protest outside CSMT on August 15 by wearing black ribbons,” said Abhijeet Dhurat, president, Maharashtra Railway Passengers’ Federation.

Physicians have however stated that despite being fully vaccinated, there is still a 30% chance of the infection. “The second wave has taught us that spots that saw gatherings in large numbers witnessed a spurt in the number of cases. At least 75% of Mumbai’s citizens need to be vaccinated with both the doses to achieve herd immunity. Mumbai is more densely populated than other cities across the world, which is why if the general public are allowed to commute, stringent checks of vaccinated passengers and increase in vaccinations have to be undertaken,” said general physician Dr Shahid Barmare.

“The decision on allowing general public should be taken by doctors. The doctors and the government agencies will be able to analyse the risks and the benefits. Government agencies will also have to work to control crowds inside train compartments,” said urban planner Sulakshana Mahajan.