Transportation Problems in Mumbai

Modeled after London’s transportation system, Mumbai developed a similar network of transportation starting with the tram system in 1870. Since then, Mumbai created a variety of upgraded modes of transportation including roads, public buses, and railroad carriers. However, because most residents of Mumbai cannot afford a personal automobile, they opt to ride the bus or the train.

The average distance of a commute is nearly one-third of the entire length of Mumbai because the Central Business District is located on the South part of the island disconnected from the residential Northern region. The East and West Highways run North and South along the island and can support up to 6.2 million passengers per day. The roads of Mumbai are plagued by non-transportation obstacles such as the chawls, or slums, and are considered a slow alternative to mass transportation. The bus systems of Mumbai are all privately owned, but the most used company is BEST which transports around 5 million people per day. Mass commutes on buses only contribute to the already growing pollution problem in Mumbai.

The railroads follow the same path as the highways, but face a much more serious problem as the number of passengers has increased five-fold between 1959 and 1989. Overcrowded trains and train stations are becoming more inefficient and dangerous as the number of passengers continue to rise.

In recent years, the MUTP (Mumbai Urban Transportation Project) have implemented many costly upgrades to their transportation system. Unfortunately, they don’t have much to show for it. Transportation in Mumbai is still abominable mainly because it isn’t centralized. A city-run government transportation agency would make progress much more achievable. An underground metro is in the works, however trains will maintain the bulk of the work until the metro is complete.

References:

http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/espencer/transportation.html

http://mumbaimatters.bombayaddict.com/2006/08/mutp-mumbais-unending-transport.html