Western Railway commuter traffic grows the fastest in Nalasopara

Western Railway commuter traffic grows the fastest in Nalasopara

Mumbai: The city’s suburban network is the busiest in the world, carrying 7.5 million (or 75 lakh) commuters daily, or close to half the population of Greater Mumbai. It also tells a larger story of a city in transition – where it’s expanding, where homes and offices are coming up.

Commuter traffic data procured by from Western Railway for the last five years reveal that the local train station at Nalasopara, a satellite township of Mumbai (between Vasai and Virar), has witnessed the fastest growth in originating traffic: 30%. A little over 2 lakh tickets have been sold per day (on an average) at Nalasopora station this year compared to 1.55 lakh in 2011.

In striking contrast, Churchgate traffic has fallen by almost 9.5% during the same five-year period. A Western Railway official said, “This is because offices have now shifted to Lower Parel, Elphinstone Road and Andheri.”

Western Railway runs suburban services right till Dahanu but mostly up to Virar, from the originating stations of Churchgate, Dadar or Andheri.

Virar has seen a 21% jump in passengers during this period – from 1.5 lakh to 1.8 lakh passengers per day – due to real estate that’s cheaper than in Mira Road and Bhayander. Vasai, on the other hand, has grown by a more modest 5%, to 1.3 lakh.

Nalasopara is a most crowded locality in the Vasai-Virar region with 38% of its total population, according to the 2011 census. It shows Nalasopara’s population grew to 4.6 lakh in 2011 from 2.3 lakh in 2001, and that of Virar to 3.9 lakh from 1.9 lakh during the same period.

Nalasopara MLA Kshitij Thakur said affordable housing and communal harmony had drawn the migrant population to his constituency. “The population of migrants shifting to Vasai-Virar has doubled every decade. In the past decade, the percentage jumped by 235%,” said Thakur. “People come here as migrants and make it their home.”

Pankaj Kapoor, managing director, Liases Foras, a real estate research firm, said: “A lot of low-income families are shifting to Nalasopara and Virar because they are relatively cheaper. But real estate prices are rising in these places too – up from Rs 3,000 per square foot two years ago to Rs 5,000.” Also, a lot of daily wage earners, including taxi and auto drivers, have made Nalasopara their base, he said.

Suresh Lalgi, a realty broker, pointed to rising demand for rented apartments in Nalasopara. “Multiple families share rented apartments. A lot of them work at construction sites in Mira Road and live in Nalasopara.”

Borivli, with 2.9 lakh passengers, has the most originating passengers along WR followed by Andheri at 2.6 lakh—though both have seen a drop compared with the start of the decade.