--- title: Punctuality of Bombay trains date: "2002-04-30T12:00:00Z" categories: - mumbai wp_id: 1350 description: I share a personal anecdote about observing the surprising reputation for punctuality among Mumbai's local trains. While waiting at Bandra station at midnight, I watched passengers assume a delayed train had already left solely based on the clock. keywords: [mumbai, local trains, bandra station, churchgate, punctuality, public transport, suburban railway] --- **12:05 Churchgate** Hmm, maybe it's not just the London and Tokyo trains you can set your watch by. On the way back from my trip to Ullas Nagar, I was sitting at the Bandra station waiting for the 12:05 to Churchgate. (That's 12:05AM -- as in the middle of the night.) The train was late, and I was enjoying the last of my plum cakes on the platform. Two old people clad in khadi strutted in, and looked at the display. It said "12:05 C". The older one said, "Heck, we've missed the train. Let's go to the next platform." "No, we couldn't. It says '12:05 C'. The train's coming," says the "younger". The older one purposefully turns towards the big clock on the station, points to it, and says, "Look. It's 12:10. The 12:05 train has left." End of argument. Maybe there's something to be said for the punctuality of local trains in Mumbai, after all. --- ## Comments - **raj** _7 May 2007 4:54 pm_: ullas nagar is not anywhere near on the bandra-churchgate railway link, but miles apart on different part of the town. don't fool the people, learn bombay's geography first - **raj** _7 May 2007 4:56 pm_: and ullas nagar is not spelt as you have spelt it. It's called Ulhas Nagar. And if you have missed the 12:05C train, you don't have to change platforms, but simply wait there for arrival of the next train. you don't change platforms for evry missed train. wake up, man. - **S Anand** _7 May 2007 5:02 pm_: Raj, correction noted on the spelling of Ulhas Nagar. I was lugging furniture from Ulhas Nagar to my new house in Bandra. After moving it in, I was waiting to take the train to Churchgate, which was where my old house was. Trains from Bandra to Churchgate come on platforms 2 and 4. The 12:05 was on platform 2. The 12:10 was at Platform 4. You didn't HAVE to change platforms, but catching the next train, in this case, meant you did.