To ease severe overcrowding on Mumbai’s local trains, the Central Railway (CR) has requested 800+ offices, including government departments, banks, and corporates, to change working hours. The move aims to reduce peak-hour congestion (8–10 AM and 5–7 PM) on the busy CSMT-Thane stretch, where 35 lakh commuters cram into 1,810 daily services.

CR’s appeal follows alarming safety data: 922 accidental deaths were reported between January–May 2025, with 210 caused by passengers falling from overcrowded trains. While new railway lines are unfeasible due to space constraints, CR hopes flexible timings will distribute the rush. The plan targets offices between CSMT and Thane, where non co-ordinated timings worsen chaos.

While CR clarified that the proposal isn’t new, the renewed push follows recent incidents, most notably, eight passengers falling from an overcrowded train near Mumbra. Alarming data shows that since 2005, over 51,800 people have lost their lives on these tracks, with falling from moving trains and track-crossing being the leading causes. High-risk zones like Kalyan, Thane, and Vasai continue to report the highest number of such fatalities, highlighting the urgent need for crowd management and safety reforms.

With Mumbai’s population soaring, staggered hours may be the quickest fix to make commutes safer, unless more drastic infrastructure upgrades arrive.