The crowds at bus stops in Mumbai and its suburbs are growing bigger by the day. Packed buses come and leave, with few able to get in. Frustration is building up, but commuters have little choice. As Mumbai tries to unlock its economy, and more and more offices open up and industries try to get back to business, the stab at normalcy still requires the restoration of a vital missing link—suburban, or ‘local’, commuter trains, the city’s lifeline.
Since the Covid outbreak, local trains, which ferry an estimated 8 million commuters every day in normal times, have stopped running in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), except restricted operations for health and essential services workers, those in the pharma and food industries, and bankers and lawyers. An exception was also made for women commuters, for whom train services resumed on October 21 in two time slots—11 am to 3 pm and 7 pm to 12.40 am, the last train.
This story is from the November 16, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 16, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Silent Revolution
A Growing Force, The Woman Elector In India Is Realising The Power Of Her Vote And Using It To ***direct Her Own And The Nation's Destiny
The Forbidding Fruit
The disturbed snow cycle, the price of imported urea, cheaper imports from the South Asian neighbourhood-the whole world, it would appear, has been conspiring against the apple farmers of Himachal Pradesh.
Chicken Soup for the Heart
Former veejay, actor and now travel influencer, Shenaz Treasury is out with a book based on past romances-All He Left Me Was a Recipe
CITY OF DREAMS
This anthology of stories about Mumbai is like the city itself-crowded and chaotic, but ultimately illuminating
Diverse Vignettes
Edited by Arunava Sinha, The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories is a landmark new anthology which includes several previously untranslated works
A BREATH OF FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Ganesh V. Shivaswamy brings a sharp and balanced approach to his three volumes on Raja Ravi Varma
Time Travel
An exhibition in Bengaluru is showcasing an unseen artwork by legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma
INDIA AT CANNES 2024
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival marks the first time in 30 years that India has a feature film in the Palme d'Or competition section. And there's lots more...
Cusp of Greatness
Shriya Pilgaonkar comes into her own as an intrepid reporter in Zee5's The Broken News
THE GREAT DISRUPTOR
Rapper SlowCheeta is trying to shake things up with his EP, Scene Mein Bawaal