The Context
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the financial capital of India and one of the most crowded urban areas in the world, with a population of nearly 19 million people. According to one United Nations estimate, Mumbai will become the second largest city in the world after Tokyo by 2025.
As famous as Mumbai is for Bollywood and global business, the megacity is also known for its slums and shantytowns, where more than half of citydwellers live. This creates problems of poor sanitation and crime, as well as causes difficulty in constructing clear and safe transportation corridors.
Most Mumbai residents use public transportation, and compared to people in other major Indian cities, are less likely to own vehicles. The city's suburban railway system, which covers 319 kilometers, has the highest passenger density in the world, with 6.3 million commuters traveling everyday. Mumbai is currently developing a metro and monorail system to accommodate the increasing population, higher travel demand and narrow road networks.
Key Facts
average trip length in kilometers
vehicles per 1000 people
percent of trips via public transport
Source: Centre for Sustainable Transport India
The Centre for Sustainable Transport India (CST India) opened its first office in Mumbai in 2008. However, it has been involved in numerous transport projects in major Indian cities like Bangalore and Pune. One of its primary focuses is to provide capacity building to India’s class of transport engineers on the topic of Bus Rapid Transit. It also has advised state and city governments on their transport master plans.
