Regular passengers on the Western Suburban Railway route will realize the pressures of the daily commute – the crowds, the sweat and those battles to secure every inch of space for standing ‘comfortably’. The lucky ones are those who commute to and fro from one point to the other (say Borivli to Churchgate); no botheration of alighting or getting into the train midway which could mean enrolling oneself for another battle for barging into the crowded compartments. As if these daily crusades weren’t enough, the railways have now introduced some rakes which are devoid of the luggage racks. These racks were a boon for keeping luggage while you travel and also holding onto it as you stand closer to the window. This decision was apparently taken (in a haste?) after the July 11 train bombings to deter any terrorist from planting a bag loaded with explosives and risking the lives of many.
Although the measures are not out of place, the commuters are being inconvenienced by this move. As I notice regularly when I am on those trains, some who are unable to bag a seat in the crowd have to travel with their heavy luggage on their shoulders or hunt for a place on the floor. Quite a few of the sensitive and understanding passengers vacate their seats but the rest tend to ignore the hardships of the exhausted passenger carrying the heavy load. Once inside a rake without any racks, it’s difficult for people to balance themselves from the constant jerks and shakes while carrying the belongings on their shoulders simultaneosly. It’s an appalling sight to see especially in the evening rush hour. Moreover the purpose of providing safety is defeated since the vacant area below the passenger seats is a tempting invitation to a terrorist to slip a bag of explosives. Much worse is the fact that such baggage would be difficult to detect as opposed on a luggage rack which is in full view of the passengers.
I hope that someone from the Western Suburban Railway takes cognisance of this matter and installs the luggage racks back in those trains immediately. Safety of the passenger is primary but not at the cost of his or her convenience.
