Mumbai Chronicle - 24 May 2012

I have heard that local trains are the lifeline of Mumbai, and it is one thing you can rely on when you need to travel across Mumbai. But I had never heard that what to do when the lifeline stops suddenly. Well if you ask any Mumbaikar that if he or she ever got stranded because of breakdown, they might have experienced it but on the very first week of your entry to the city. Very few lucky people like me and Sujith Bhai are entitled for the privilege. :-P

On our way back to our current residence, at Mahim Station, the local stopped as usual to drop and pick its passengers. We both got up from our seats to go near to the door as next stop was ours and you need to make your way out to get down on a station where few people drop off. Otherwise generally if it is a major stop you don’t have to make an effort as crowd pushes you out by own.

Anyways coming back to what I was saying, after the train stopped at Mahim Station, it never moved forward. We were bit surprised as it was a first time experience for us. We stood inside the train for some minutes and then we got down at the station following what the crowd was doing. There was a lot of confusion, that what was happening and then some announcement was made on the loudspeaker. Well it sounded like someone is jumbling rocks in a steel box in front of a mike and I bet if the person who did announcement also came and listened, he/she won’t have understood a single word.

Anyways, we thought to ask suggestion from an experienced traveller.

“Bhaisaab, humne King’s Circle jaana hai. Ye train kab chalegi? (We have to King’s Cirlce. When will this train leave?)

“Wo to agla stop hai, issi track pe chalte raho 10 minute tak pahunch jaoge. Ye to abhi yard jayegi aur iske baad doosri train aayegi.. Wo kab pata nahi” (That is next stop. Do one thing keep walking on this track and you may reach in 10 minutes because this train will go to yard and another train will come and at what time no one knows.)

We sighed and looked at each other asking each other what to do. It was stupidity to walk in that afternoon sun on a railway tracks so we waited another 10 minutes and then thought that we will go out and hire a cab. So after deciding to hire a cab, we took the foot over bridge to go to next platform. On the way outside, Sujith bhai told that lets have Lime juice, and we stopped at small outlet at the platform itself. As we were drinking lime juice, we saw our train moving on the other side. On enquiring from the lime juice stall owner, he told that the announcement was made that this train has gone to yard and next train is coming in 5 minutes. I looked at the guy and asked pointing at speaker, the announcement on this. He chuckled and said I daily stand here so i can understand them.

Well finally we crossed the tracks and went to our previous platform as the new train arrived for our destination. Well what I learnt was that you need to be patient as Western railways will not allow lifeline of Mumbai to stop like this.