Mumbai Suburban Railway Loses 44.65 Lakh Riders as Metro Expands

Mumbai's suburban railway system recorded a net loss of 44.65 lakh passengers in the April-June quarter compared with the same period last year, according to an internal Western Railway analysis. Total suburban ridership fell from 26.04 crore to 25.60 crore, a decline of 1.71 percent. Second Class travel, which comprises the bulk of commuters, dropped 3 percent from 21.94 crore to 21.28 crore, while First Class fell sharply by 7.23 percent.

The analysis attributes the decline partly to competition from Metro corridors running parallel to suburban routes, particularly on the Borivali-Dahisar and Andheri stretches. The Yellow and Red Metro lines carried 2.26 crore passengers in the quarter, while the Aqua Line recorded 1.65 crore rides. However, the data does not establish a direct passenger shift from suburban trains to Metro services.

In contrast, AC suburban travel increased by nearly 30 percent, rising from 1.37 crore to 1.78 crore passengers. The railway cautioned that this rise may partly reflect existing commuters upgrading from other classes rather than new passengers entering the system.