Local trains are the lifeline for millions of people living in Mumbai and surrounding satellite towns, ferrying lakhs of commuters each day. However, the services were severely restricted after the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020.
On February 1, when the suburban railway system resumed full operations after a gap of 10 months, a heart-warming image went viral on various social platforms, aptly showing what these trains mean for Mumbaikars.
The picture shows a young man bowing down before a train while boarding it in an apparent gesture of respect.
“This beautiful picture has been taken at CSMT Station PF no 2 when local services started for all on 01/02/2021. The sentiment captures why Mumbai Local Trains are known as the Lifeline Of Mumbai,” tweeted Ashok Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager Bengaluru.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra and author Devdutt Pattanaik were among those who shared the image.
The train services were restarted for general public on February 1. As per the instructions of the Maharashtra government, between 7:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm only those engaged in essential services will be allowed to travel.
The services of the local trains were resumed for the emergency and essential services staff in June last year. Later on, the authorities permitted women to travel in locals during the non-peak hours.
Before the pandemic struck, the Central Railway was operating 1,774 suburban services daily, while the Western Railway operated 1,367 services.
Currently, the two railway authorities are operating 2,985 services, about 95 per cent of the total 3,141 services, on Mumbai's suburban network. Of these, 204 special suburban services were added on Friday morning.
