tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post8185502312800902126..comments2024-01-07T09:36:51.796-08:00Comments on Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema: Prashant C. Trikannadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-25878748641328060642012-12-20T21:44:20.837-08:002012-12-20T21:44:20.837-08:00You are welcome, Yvette. There's not much to e...You are welcome, Yvette. There's not much to envy about daily commute in Mumbai though rail travel across this vast and unpredictable country can be fun and educating. Most commuters in Mumbai are rather stoic about their "fate," even resigned to it, though things are beginning to look up with some of the ongoing and planned expansion projects. In the past the local trains have been soft targets for terrorists and just six years ago a series of bomb explosions in 11 trains killed more than 200 people and injured hundreds. In Mumbai, trains take you to your destination faster than cars, 30 minutes by rail to as much as two hours by road!Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-64580754169714734372012-12-19T19:59:06.602-08:002012-12-19T19:59:06.602-08:00I don't envy you your daily commute, Prashant....I don't envy you your daily commute, Prashant. But you seem very philosophical about it. Thanks for the photos as well, it's so interesting to see what other bloggers around the world do on a daily basis, work-wise. Here in New Jersey, public transportation in not nearly as prevalent as it is in the city. There are buses and such, but everyone prefers cars. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-22647838548246934672012-12-19T00:32:02.844-08:002012-12-19T00:32:02.844-08:00Patti, it certainly is and we have a lot of foreig...Patti, it certainly is and we have a lot of foreigners who are absolutely amazed at the way we travel, like pigs and cattle. That major catastrophes don't occur on the railway networks is credit to the tolerance and resilience of the commuters. Mumbai has one of the best public transport systems in the world but at the same time it also has one of the fastest growing car populations anywhere. Today, more people in Mumbai have cars and two-wheelers than they did, say, 10 years ago.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-28673506958544771312012-12-19T00:26:47.991-08:002012-12-19T00:26:47.991-08:00Thank you, Tracy. The people of Mumbai (formerly B...Thank you, Tracy. The people of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) have become inured to all the negatives of rail travel in the city and, I think, that's pretty much the case in the rest of the country. The situation is improving, slowly, and what we are seeing now in terms of expansion and upgradation ought to have happened more than a decade ago. The state-owned Indian Railways continues to be shortsighted: for instance, a few years ago they built new platforms in my suburban station with just one pedestrian stairway at the north-end. As a result, for the past decade or so we have been walking the entire length of the platform in order to take the stairway. There's none at the south-end or anywhere in the middle. Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-69534390418996363402012-12-19T00:19:34.095-08:002012-12-19T00:19:34.095-08:00Ron, you are welcome. I guess, local commute is mo...Ron, you are welcome. I guess, local commute is more or less the same everywhere except varying in degrees of comfort, system, and infrastructure. We have a long way to go before we travel in relative comfort as in the West. There are just too many people travelling by Indian Railways, mainly due to the rural-to-urban migration, and there's nothing one can do about it. Fatalities occur almost everyday on Mumbai's tracks and the trains are held up for 15 to 20 minutes at most. The accident victim is taken away quickly on a stretcher though station masters are wont to argue as to whose jurisdiction the mishap occurred. The victim could be lying a few metres one way or the other.<br /><br />It was interesting to read about your travel days. Frankly, I never thought Americans commuted long distances to and from work that took them as much as an hour and more. Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-82581682980777015782012-12-19T00:11:01.929-08:002012-12-19T00:11:01.929-08:00Thank you, Sergio. 4,000 is a horrifying number, I...Thank you, Sergio. 4,000 is a horrifying number, I agree, but death on Mumbai's tracks is an everyday occurrence. The moment you see porters rushing onto the tracks with a dirty stretcher you know somebody's just been knocked down. I have seen a few of the injured (or dead), unintentionally, not a pretty sight at all. What makes it worse is the pathetic medical infrastructure at the railway stations. Travelling by these local trains is an experience but after all these years I find it rather tedious and I can't wait to reach office or home.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-54742878173513567782012-12-16T16:18:01.939-08:002012-12-16T16:18:01.939-08:00Very interesting. We have almost no rail system in...Very interesting. We have almost no rail system in Detroit. Just a couple of trains passing through on long distance runs. I guess we are victims of the auto company's determination to make everyone buy cars. Yet many Detroiters have no car. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-48226079316106775892012-12-15T21:58:51.679-08:002012-12-15T21:58:51.679-08:00This was very, very interesting. The number of dea...This was very, very interesting. The number of deaths is shocking, and the discomfort and fighting also. I have been spoiled to never have to do more than a 20 minute drive to work. I am glad to hear that the situation is improving.TracyKhttp://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-62806128154578417872012-12-15T17:13:32.191-08:002012-12-15T17:13:32.191-08:00Thanks for this. Interesting to know about your da...Thanks for this. Interesting to know about your day, and getting to/from work is a big part of it for anyone with a job.<br /><br />I commuted daily on the Metro North line into New York for many years, and I did a lot of reading while in transit, the trip each way taking more than an hour. Morning commutes were quiet; daytime was noisy; evening commute quiet again. Often had to stand on the way home, if I got to the platform just before the train left the station. Commuters pretty courteous; don't recall a single fistfight or even shouting match. Fatalities were extremely rare, but the occasional death would stop a train for hours.<br /><br />More recently, commuting into LA, there are designated quiet cars, which don't permit talking or cell phones. Very civilized. Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169151311037688512.post-31531653629654301382012-12-15T14:23:32.286-08:002012-12-15T14:23:32.286-08:004,000 a year is just a horrifying number Prashant ...4,000 a year is just a horrifying number Prashant - so glad o hear things are finally inproving. It's been 20 years since I took public transport in (as it then was) Bombay, but it was certainly a memorable experience. I do most of reading, and listening,on my daily commute too (I live 60 miles away from my office). Really enjoyed the post. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora)http://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com