Maharashtra government plans app, colour-coding mechanism to avoid crowding on Mumbai local trains

The Maharashtra government, which has proposed to open local trains in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for all commuters, plans to use technology to prevent

The Maharashtra government, which has proposed to open local trains in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for all commuters, plans to use technology to prevent overcrowding at stations and in trains. The state government is developing a web-based application (app) to help commuters book tickets and decide the time slot during which they wish to travel. The government also plans to introduce a colour-coding mechanism, which will specify the time slot during which the ticket can be used to broad trains.

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“We will soon develop the app. We are also working on the colour-coding mechanism to restrict the number of passengers in suburban trains,” said Kishorraje Nimbalkar, secretary, relief and rehabilitation department of the state government.

An official, on condition of anonymity, said, the app and colour-coding mechanism will enable railway authorities to issue a stipulated number of tickets in a bid to prevent overcrowding in trains.

Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) authorities had raised concerns about overcrowding given the number of services they run. The CR currently operates 706 daily services, while WR runs 704 services as against their regular of 1,774 and 1,367, respectively.

The state government, however, has maintained that appropriate steps are being taken to prevent overcrowding in trains. “We have allowed 30% of private sector employees to travel by trains, which have reduced around 20 lakh daily commuters. Besides, another 20 lakh commuters have become less owing to closure of schools, colleges and other educational institutions. If the railway authorities operate at their full strength of 3,100 train services, no overcrowding will occur during peak hours. We have also suggested running a special train for women passengers every hour. The move is in line with encouraging staggered office hours. More ladies specials will help women commuters to travel during non-peak hours,” said a state government official, requesting anonymity.

The official added: “We don’t want to impose more restrictions, but encourage passengers with staggered timings. Now, it’s up to the railway authorities to operate at their full strength.”

Mumbai’s guardian minister Aslam Shaikh said the state administration would work out ways to ensure reopening of train service for all commuters at the earliest, despite the Covid-19 outbreak.