Mumbai - Churchgate Borivali Fast(Western) Local Trains

It is the brown-red or blue or simply silver colored metal beasts with a tender heart, that no Mumbaikars can avoid. I am talking about the Lifeline of Mumbai - The Local Train; the fastest, cheapest means to travel across Mumbai. People from all strata of life, be it rich or poor; everyone must have traveled at least once by it.

Getting inside train in Morning(6.45 to 11.00) and Evening (6.00 to 10.00) is Mission Impossible for many. Everyday morning, the locals fully packed and bursting to the seams, leave Borivali station on its journey towards churchgate. Getting into the train is in itself a great achievement. The already packed train is further pushed to its limit at stations between Borivali and Andheri. I suppoz this is the best packing fraction I have ever seen, better than any crystal lattice. Infact, hardly anyone tries getting into the train at Jogeshwari, one station before Andheri. One thing needs to be clarified that, here packed trains doesnt mean all seats are occupied and some are standing!It means not even a bee can traverse across the compartment!

As Andheri station reaches, there is a sudden pandemonium as some alight and some board keeping the total no of passengers almost same. I call it (Conservation of Passengers) for condition Station=Andheri, where, alighted = boarded. Moving further, the next station is Bandra followed by Dadar after which u can breathe comfortably. Now the void space is greater and the total no of passengers present is the ideal condition required in a local.

The same situation repeats in the evening, but now in the opposite direction ie. Churchgate to borivali)

Still, it is efficient and improving. Train traveling is part and parcel of Mumbai's Fast Life! This is life here! I salute the spirit!