Long queues at ticket counters, defunct automated ticket vending machines (ATVMs) and crowded trains were seen at many stations as the Mumbai suburban railway system opened for the general public on Monday, February 1, after a never-before 10-month closure.
The local trains in Mumbai saw a footfall of 26 lakh passengers until 6 pm – up from 17 lakhs on January 29.
Despite the Central and Western railways opened their bookings online as well for passengers, long queues were witnessed outside railway stations -- Dadar, Andheri to Borivali, Vasai, Virar, Nalasopara, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Thane, Kalyan, Dombivali and some other stations for tickets and passes.
The general public is allowed to commute by local trains between 12 pm and 4 pm, post 9 pm till the last train service of the day, and from the first train service of the day till 7 am.
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While the railways extended the validity of monthly railway passes for passengers who could not travel due to the lockdown, the public rushed to railway stations to get their passes’ validity extended.
On the day 1 of the local trains for all, the Western Railway (WR) recorded the sale of tickets worth INR 147.66 lakh from 2.32 lakh passengers — double of the 1.1 lakh people who purchased tickets on Sunday, January 31.
Meanwhile, officials said that as per estimates, 11.5 lakh people travelled on WR. Central Railway (CR) officials said that 14.5 lakh people boarded its trains till 6 pm.
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