Mumbai's suburban rail network, which ferries over 75 lakh passengers every day, is once again under the scanner. While Central Railway claims a punctuality rate of 92% and Western Railway boasts 95% for 2025–26, thousands of daily commuters say trains especially during peak hours routinely run 10 to 20 minutes behind schedule. The key issue lies in how punctuality is calculated. Under current railway norms, a train delayed by up to five to ten minutes is still counted as “on time.” Critics say this inflates punctuality figures while masking the daily disruption faced by office-goers.
Flawed Calculation
A six-month ground observation by FPJ across both suburban networks found a clear pattern: one delayed train triggers a cascade — platforms fill up, the next arriving train becomes dangerously overcrowded, and if an AC local is slotted in between, the chaos multiplies.
Passengers on the Central Railway corridor are among the worst hit. Commuters report that delays during peak hours are not the exception but the norm, with little or no prior announcement of blocks or speed restrictions among the most cited reasons for late running, along with signal failures, trespassing incidents, and track maintenance work.
Railway's Response
Western Railway's DRM Pankaj Singh has pledged to achieve 98% punctuality soon, citing ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Responding to questions about frequent train delays due to signal failures, Central Railway General Manager Pratik Goswami said that multiple infrastructure projects are currently underway, including track maintenance and Kavach safety system installation, which are essential works. He said the railway regrets delays in local train services and is making every effort to ensure that all services run on time as soon as possible.
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