Mumbai: 11.5 lakh additional commuters take local trains on Day 1 of restart

Ten months after the pandemic slammed the brakes on local trains Mumbairsquos lifeline took the first step towards normalcy on Monday The suburban network did not burst at the seams but recorded a robust footfallA serpentine queue for tickets and passes at Andheri on Monday PicSayyed Sameer AbedildquoTravel figures reached 42 per cent of the preCovid numbers on Monday an addition of 115 lakh passengers over the last working day Jan 29 About 34 lakh passengers travelled on CR and WR as compared to 80 lakh per day in regular timesrdquo said an officialThe AC local also saw a fivefold jump in sale of season ticketsDadar station remained crowded throughout Monday PicSayyed Sameer AbediThose who took the locals were clearly excited midday met Naurddin Sayeed and his wife Asma who had boarded a train at Mira Road before 7 am the morning window for all ldquoWe returned home during the 124pm slot ldquoWe had been spending a lot of money and time on auto for the past 8 to 9 months We are happy todayrdquo said Asma At night the general public is allowed after 9 pmCSMT saw a moderate crowd on the first big day after lockdown PicSuresh KarkeraDadar resident Prajakta Ghorpade took a train to attend a wedding at Ghatkopar along with her daughter Ishita and mother Sugandha ldquoIt would have taken at least an hour Trains are the best said Prajakta adding that people should wear masks and keep social distancingIT students Aryaman Bhattacharya from Powai Shrikant Bitla and Prabhadevi resident Vamshi Vemula were ecstatic Aryaman a professional YouTuber said they took buses to reach their college at Dadar since they had classes after 9 am but could return on the train ldquoThe railways should allow students going to classes at all hoursrdquomidday spotted moderate crowds at busy stations like CSMT Mumbai Central Churchgate Kurla and Thane Dadar however remained crowded throughout the day Serpentine lines of ticket seekers were seen at Nalasopara and Virar WR chief PRO Sumit Thakur explained the surge at Nalasopara ldquoOn explaining to the crowd that slots beyond 7 am till 12 pm are for nominated categories they dispersedrdquoAt Kurla RPF personnel stepped in to streamline commuters outside the ticket counters in the afternoonThe big leap in footfallJan 29 figuresWR 950 lakhCR 13 lakhTotal 225 lakhFeb 1WR 15 lakhCR 19 lakhTotal 34 lakhTicketless travellers caughtCR 1600 R5 lakh fine collectedWR 396 R1 lakh fine collected