First, the good news. Passenger statistics maintained by Western Railway show that crowding in its local trains has reduced considerably since 2007. The number of services during peak hours has increased, as has the capacity of trains, thanks to nine-coach rakes becoming 12-coach ones, shows WR passenger data compiled between 2007 and 2014.
The bad news is that it is just a number game, and comfort on the ground for commuters will come about when the train infrastructure doubles, especially during peak hours.
According to figures put out by WR officials, the average number of passengers per coach has reduced from 287 in 2007 to 227 in 2014, ie 21%. Similarly, the carrying capacity of trains has increased by 42% from 2007, while the corresponding increase in the number of commuters has been 12.65%. Services during peak hours, the time when Mumbai's trains are among the most crowded in the world, have also increased since 2007.
However, the sheer numbers that are crammed in a coach during peak hours — called the super dense crush load of 16 commuters per square metre — means that any reduction in crowds isn't tangible to the average traveller.
"Let's look at it this way. In a coach meant for 200, if 500 are travelling, a reduction of 50 cannot be felt by the 450 inside the coach. It can only be felt if the coach has say 250 people and the crowd reduces by 20 or 30," said a senior WR official.
Speaking to dna, Shailendra Kumar, divisional railway manager, WR, was candid that a lot had been done to reduce crowding but lots more had to be done still. "The number of coaches and services has increased over the past several years, while commuters have increased from around 32 lakh per day to around 35 lakh. So, it is logical to say crowding has decreased," said Kumar.
He, however, said the difference would be felt when the number of services during peak hours is doubled. "The crowd during peak hours is still so huge that the decrease in passengers per coach is not being felt. Only when the number of services double will people inside actually see the difference," said Kumar.
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