Hello guys. Through this piece, I want to share my experience of the ever-so-popular Mumbai “local train”.
Local train travel is a very intrinsic part of a Mumbaikar’s life. It’s the same for me. Through my article, I want to inform you about the diversity of the crowd in the local trains. It will help you while travelling in Mumbai locals.
I am a student and my college is in Santacruz but I stay in Virar. So, travelling is a thing of regularity for me. I catch the “ladies special” train (as the name suggests, in this train, all compartments are reserved for ladies) which comes at 7:35 AM at the Virar local station, running from Virar to Churchgate. It is a slow train, meaning it stops at every single station. It takes 1 hour and 15 mins to reach Santacruz from Virar.
With a lot of time on my hands, I observe the varied kind of people who I see every day during my travels.
Since I catch the “ladies special” train, I will only tell you about the types of women I’ve encountered.
1. Running Train-Catcher’s
These are people who catch the train before it stops on the station. When the train reaches the station and gets slow, people start getting into the train. Why? Because they want to get seats, so they can travel easily. Most people who want to travel long-distance, catch running trains. People who want to get down at nearby stations don’t hurry for seats.
2. ‘Group’ People
There are some people in the train who make a group just for time pass, to gossip or just to reserve seats. Never fight with them! I repeat, never, because they think they ‘own’ the train.
3. Silent People
People who don’t care about what is happening on the train, they just mind their own business.
4. Judgemental People
People who judge others, stare at them and pass comments about them to their friends.
5. Fighters
These are the most horrible kinds of people in the ladies compartment. They will verbally fight with others and sometimes also resort to physical fights.
6. ‘Observing’ People
People who just observe everything, like me, ignore it and get down at the station that matters.
Until now, I have observed all these kinds of people on local trains in Mumbai and I hope it will help you to understand the diversity of the crowds.