True Life: I Survived a Mumbai Train Ride

In the great city of Mumbai, there are several ways to get around town. You can grab a rickshaw, take a taxi, or even hire a personal driver, but in all of these cases you run the risk of getting stuck in an infamous Mumbai traffic jam. If you're in a hurry or don't feel like waiting an hour in traffic, the fastest way to get from one side of town to the other is a mode of transportation that until recently I had vowed to never even attempt: the public train.

The public trains are great in a lot of ways: they are cheap (about 4 rupees or 10 cents per ticket), they are fast, and they run frequently throughout the day. Despite the perks of using the train, there are also some serious reasons to consider taking a taxi instead. First of all, it is extremely crowded in the stations and that means lots of body odor, limited personal space, and possible pick-pocketing. Second of all, the stations are not clearly marked and the stops are not announced, so you run a high risk of missing your stop altogether. When the train does stop at a station, it does more of a yield and so you basically have to hop on and off of a moving train. In order to enable passengers to move on and off the partially moving trains, engineers have conveniently designed the train cars without any doors on either side. In my opinion, this seems like one of those situations that "seemed like a good idea at the time" because every day an average of 12 people die commuting on the Mumbai trains. The cars simply get so packed and the amount of time to board is so limited, that people get pushed out of the moving cars. It's pretty scary.

When I first heard the pros and cons of using the Mumbai trains, I thought that there was absolutely no way I would ever poke a toe in that train station. But when Lynn called on the the morning of Independence Day to invite me along for a day of exploring downtown, I had to make the choice of staying in my comfort zone near my house or attempting a train ride into a new adventure. As you can tell by the picture, I was incredibly apprehensive about getting on that train. It felt like one of those "if all of your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it too" situations, but I knew that avoiding the train ride meant missing out on new experiences with my co-workers. I couldn't stay in Bandra forever, so I got a little Train Safety 101 from Lynn on the way there and found out the cardinal rules of using the public train:

1. Avoid using the train during rush hour

2. Guard your purse and pockets at all times

3. Be female so that you can ride the slightly less aggressive women's car (the women are only aggressive when men try to hop in their car. When that happens, they will actually push the men out!)

4. Once inside the car, position yourself away from the doors and hang on for dear life

5. Make sure to know your stop, and be prepared to jump out of the train before it's fully stopped

With the safety rules in mind, I reluctantly walked onto the train platform and followed Lynn and two of our female co-workers to the section where the women were awaiting their chariot (we were heading downtown with two of our male co-workers as well, who braved the co-ed cars). When the train arrived, we jumped one by one into the car and grabbed onto a pole near the middle. We rode along until we came to our stop and hopped back onto the platform as the train yielded into the station. So it wasn't that bad at all! It's just like riding any other train, except that you have to be extra cautious and aware of your surroundings.

I'm so happy that I sucked it up and gave the train a try, even though I was pretty nervous about it. Throughout our travels that day I saw so many new aspects of Mumbai that I would have missed out on completely had I opted out: Chowpatty Beach, a delicious Indian lunch, a hike up Malabar Hill, a walk through the hanging gardens, the Banganga Bath, and Chor Bazaar. To top it all off, I even saw a goat wearing a tee-shirt on the way home, and I think I can safely bet that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk.