[ˈmʊm.bəi] (help·info)), formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper is the second most-populous in the world, with approximately 14 million inhabitants.[1] Along with the neighbouring cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms the world's 4th largest urban agglomeration, with around 19 million people.[3] Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. As of 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city.[4] The seven islands that came to constitute Bombay were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands came under the control of successive kingdoms and indigenous empires before being ceded to Portuguese settlers and subsequently to the British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, Bombay emerged as a significant trading town. Economic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century. It became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. It was renamed Mumbai in 1996.[5]
Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment centre of India, generating 5% of India's GDP,[6] and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy.[7] Mumbai is home to important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. The city also houses India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a potpourri of many communities and cultures.
Toponymy
The name Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba—the name of the Koli goddess Mumbadevi—and Aai, "mother" in Marathi.[8] The former name Bombay had its origins in the 16th century when the Portuguese arrived in the area and called it by various names, which finally took the written form Bombaim, still common in current Portuguese use.[9] After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, it was believed to be anglicised to Bombay from the Portuguese Bombaim.[10] The city was known as Mumbai or Mambai to Marathi and Gujarati-speakers, and as Bambai in Hindi, Persian, and Urdu. It is sometimes still referred to by its older names, such as Kakamuchee and Galajunkja.[11][12] The name was officially changed to its Marathi pronunciation of Mumbai in November 1995.[13] This came at the insistence of the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party, that had just won the Maharashtra state elections and mirrored similar name changes across the country. However, the city is still commonly referred to as Bombay by many of its residents.[14]
A widespread explanation of the origin of the traditional English name Bombay holds that it was derived from a Portuguese name meaning "good bay". This is based on the fact that bom (masc.) is Portuguese for "good" whereas the English word "bay" is similar to the Portuguese baía (fem., bahia in old spelling). The normal Portuguese rendering of "good bay" would have been boa bahia rather than the grammatically incorrect bom bahia. However, it is possible to find the form baim (masc.) for "little bay" in 16th-century Portuguese.[15] Portuguese scholar José Pedro Machado in his Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (Portuguese Dictionary of Onomastics and Etymology), seems to reject the "Bom Bahia" hypothesis, asserting that Portuguese records mentioning the presence of a bay at the place led the English to assume that the noun (bahia, "bay") was an integral part of the Portuguese toponym, hence the English version Bombay, adapted from Portuguese.[16]
Mirat-i-Ahmedi referred to the city as Manbai in 1507.[17] The earliest Portuguese writer to refer to the city as Bombaim was Gaspar Correia in 1508, as recorded in his Lendas da Índia ("Legends of India").[18][19] Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa mentions a reference to the city in a complex form, as Tana-Maiambu or Benamajambu in 1516.Tana appears to refer to the name of the adjoining town of Thane, and Maiambu seems to refer to Mumba-Devi, the Hindu goddess after which the place is named in Marathi.[20] Other variations of the name recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries are, Mombayn (1525), Bombay (1538), Bombain (1552), Bombaym (1552), Monbaym (1554), Mombaim (1563), Mombaym (1644), Bambaye (1666), Bombaiim (1666), Bombeye (1676), and Boon Bay (1690)
History
Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands: Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba).[22] Pleistocene sediments found along the coastal areas around Kandivali in northern Mumbai by archaeologist Todd in 1939 suggest that these islands were inhabited since the Stone Age.[23] It is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited. Perhaps at the beginning of the Common era (2000 years ago), or even possibly earlier, they came to be occupied by the Koli fishing community.[24] In the third century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, during its expansion in the south, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha.[25] The Kanheri Caves in Borivali were excavated in the mid-third century BCE,[26] and served as an important centre of Buddhism in Western India during ancient times.[27] The city then was known as Heptanesia (Ancient Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands) to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE.[28]
Between the second century BCE and ninth century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas,[29] before being ruled by the Silhara dynasty from 810 to 1260.[30] Some of the oldest edifice in the city built during this period are, Jogeshwari Caves (520 to 525),[31] Elephanta Caves (sixth to seventh century),[32] Walkeshwar Temple (10th century),[33] and Banganga Tank (twelfth century).[34] King Bhimdev founded his kingdom in the region in the 12th or 13th century, and established his capital in Mahikawati (present day Mahim).[35] The Pathare Prabhus, one of the earliest known settlers of the city, were brought to Mahikawati from Saurashtra in Gujarat by Bhimdev.[36] The Muslim rulers of Gujarat annexed the islands in 1348.[37] They were later governed by the Gujarat Sultanate from 1391 to 1534. The Sultanate's patronage led to the construction of many mosques, prominent being the Haji Ali Dargah in Mahim, built in honour of the Muslim saint Haji Ali in 1431.[38] From 1429 to 1431, the islands were a source of contention between the Gujarat Sultanate and the Bahamani Sultanate of Deccan.[39][40] In 1493, Bahadur Khan Gilani of the Bahamani Sultanate attempted to conquer the islands, but was defeated.[41]
The Haji Ali Dargarh was built in 1431, when Mumbai was under the Gujarat Sultanate
The Mughal Empire, founded in 1526, was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent during the mid-16th century.[42] Growing apprehensive of the power of the Mughal emperor Humayun, Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate was obliged to sign the Treaty of Bassein with Portuguese settlers on 23 December 1534. According to the treaty, the seven islands of Bombay, the nearby strategic town of Bassein and its dependencies were offered to the Portuguese. The territories were later surrendered on 25 October 1535.[43] The Portuguese were actively involved in the foundation and growth of their Roman Catholic religious orders in Bombay.[44] Some of the oldest Catholic churches in the city such as the St. Michael's Church at Mahim (1534),[45] St. John the Baptist Church at Andheri (1579),[46] St. Andrew's Church at Bandra (1580),[47] and Gloria Church at Byculla (1632),[48] date from the Portuguese era. On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed the islands in possession of the British Empire, as part of Catherine's dowry to Charles.[49] However, Salsette, Bassein, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala still remained under Portuguese possession. From 1665 to 1666, the British managed to acquire Mahim, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala.[50]
These islands were in turn leased to the British East India Company in 1668 for a sum of £10 per annum by the Royal Charter of 27 March 1668.[51] The population quickly rose from 10,000 in 1661, to 60,000 in 1675.[52] The islands were subsequently attacked by Yakut Khan, the Siddi admiral of the Mughal Empire, in October 1672,[53] Rickloffe van Goen, the Governor-General of Dutch India on 20 February 1673,[54] and Siddi admiral Sambal on 10 October 1673.[53] In 1687, the British East India Company transferred its headquarters from Surat to Bombay. The city eventually became the headquarters of the Bombay Presidency.[55] Following the transfer, Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's establishments in India.[56] Towards the end of the 17th century, the islands again suffered incursions from Yakut Khan in 1689–90.[57] The Portuguese presence ended in Bombay when the Marathas under Peshwa Baji Rao I captured Salsette in 1737, and Bassein in 1739.[58] By the middle of the 18th century, Bombay began to grow into a major trading town, and received a huge influx of migrants from across India.[59] Later, the British occupied Salsette on 28 December 1774. With the Treaty of Surat (1775), the British formally gained control of Salsette and Bassein, resulting in the First Anglo-Maratha War.[60] The British were able to secure Salsette from the Marathas through the Treaty of Purandar (1776),[61] and later through the Treaty of Salbai (1782), signed to settle the outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War.[62]
Ships in Bombay Harbour (c. 1731). Bombay emerged as a significant trading town during the mid-18th century
From 1782 onwards, the city was reshaped with large-scale civil engineering projects aimed at merging all the seven islands into a single amalgamated mass. This project, known as the Hornby Vellard, was completed by 1784.[63] In 1817, the British East India Company under Mountstuart Elphinstone defeated Baji Rao II, the last of the Maratha Peshwa in the Battle of Kirkee.[64] Following his defeat, almost the whole of the Deccan came under British suzerainty, and were incorporated in Bombay Presidency. The success of the British campaign in the Deccan witnessed the freedom of Bombay from all attacks by native powers.[65] By 1845, the seven islands were coalesced into a single landmass by the Hornby Vellard project.[66] On 16 April 1853, India's first passenger railway line was established, connecting Bombay to the neighbouring town of Thane.[67] During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the city became the world's chief cotton trading market, resulting in a boom in the economy that subsequently enhanced the city's stature.[68] The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea.[69] In September 1896, Bombay was hit by a bubonic plague epidemic where the death toll was estimated at 1,900 people per week.[70] About 850,000 people fled Bombay and the textile industry was adversely affected.[71] As the capital of the Bombay Presidency, it witnessed the Indian independence movement, with the Quit India Movement in 1942 and the The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in 1946 being its most notable events.[72][73] After India's independence in 1947, the territory of the Bombay Presidency retained by India was restructured into Bombay State. The area of Bombay State increased, after several erstwhile princely states that joined the Indian union were integrated into Bombay State. Subsequently, the city became the capital of Bombay State.[74] In April 1950, Greater Bombay District came into existence with the merger of Bombay Suburbs of Salsette and Bombay City for the purposes of municipal administration.[75]
The Hutatma Chowk memorial, built to honour the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. (Flora Fountain is on its left in the background)
In the Lok Sabha discussions in 1955, the Congress party demanded that the city be constituted as an autonomous city-state.[76] In 1956, the States Reorganisation Committee recommended a bilingual state for Maharashtra–Gujarat with Bombay as its capital. Bombay Citizens' Committee, an advocacy group comprising of leading Gujarati industrialists lobbied for Bombay's independent status.[77] In the 1957 elections, the Samyukta Maharashtra movement opposed these proposals, and insisted that Bombay be declared the capital of Maharashtra.[78] Following protests by the movement in which 105 people were killed by police at Flora Fountain, Bombay State was reorganised on linguistic lines on 1 May 1960.[79] Gujarati-speaking areas of Bombay State were partitioned into the state of Gujarat.[80] Maharashtra State with Bombay as its capital was formed with the merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay State, eight districts from Central Provinces and Berar, five districts from Hyderabad State, and numerous princely states enclosed between them.[81] As a memorial to the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, Flora Fountain was renamed as Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square), and a memorial was erected.[82]
The following decades saw massive expansion of the city and its suburbs. In the late 1960s, Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade were reclaimed and developed.[83] The Bombay Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) was set up on 26 January 1975 by the Government of Maharashtra as an apex body for planning and co-ordination of development activities in the Bombay metropolitan region.[84] In August 1979, a sister township of New Bombay was founded by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) across Thane and Raigad districts to help the dispersal and control of Bombay's population.[85] The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which currently handles 55–60% of India's containerized cargo, was commissioned on 26 May 1989 at Nhava Sheva with a view to de-congest Bombay Harbour and to serve as a hub port for the city.[86]
The past two decades have seen an increase in violence in the hitherto largely peaceful city. Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the city was rocked by the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1992–93 in which more than 1,000 people were killed.[87] On 12 March 1993, a series of 13 co-ordinated bombings at several city landmarks by Islamic extremists and the Bombay underworld resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injuries.[88] In 2006, 209 people were killed and over 700 injured when seven bombs exploded on the city's commuter trains.[89] In 2008, a series of ten coordinated attacks by armed terrorists for three days resulted in 173 deaths, 308 injuries, and severe damage to several important buildings.[90] Despite these incidents, Mumbai remains a major trading centre that has evolved to become a global financial hub.[91] For several decades it has been the site for the concentration of India's financial services, and a focus for both infrastructure development and private investment.[92] From being an ancient fishing community and a colonial centre of trade, Mumbai has become the subcontinent's largest port and home of the world's most prolific film industry.[93]
Geography
Mumbai is located at 18°58′30″N 72°49′33″E / 18.9750°N 72.8258°E in the Indian state of Maharashtra.[94] Mumbai consists of two distinct regions: Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban District, which form two separate districts of Maharashtra.[95] The city region is also commonly referred to as the Island City.[96] Mumbai, as an urban entity, spans a total area of 603.4 km2 (233 sq mi),[97] while Greater Mumbai, the area under the administration of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), spans a total area of 437.71 km2 (169 sq mi), with the Island City spanning 67.79 km2 (26 sq mi) and the suburban district spanning 370 km2 (143 sq mi).[98]
Greater Mumbai accounts for most of Mumbai's territory, excluding some regions such as Defence lands, Mumbai Port Trust lands, and the Borivali National Park area, which are out of the jurisdiction of the BMC. The Mumbai metropolitan region consists of the full districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai suburbs, city of Navi Mumbai, and also part of the districts of Thane and Raigad.[99] It covers an area of about 4,355 km2 (1,681 sq mi).[100]
Mumbai lies at the mouth of the Ulhas River on the western coast of India, in the coastal region known as the Konkan. It sits on Salsette Island, partially shared with the Thane district.[101] Mumbai is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west.[102] Many parts of the city lie just above sea level, with elevations ranging from 10 m (33 ft) to 15 m (49 ft);[103] the city has an average elevation of 14 m (46 ft).[104] Northern Mumbai (Salsette) is hilly,[105] and the highest point in the city is 450 m (1,476 ft) at Salsette in the Powai-Kanheri ranges.[106] Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Borivili National Park) is located partly in the Mumbai suburban district, and partly in the Thane district, and it extends over an area of 103.09 km2 (39.80 sq mi).[107]
Apart from the Bhatsa Dam, there are six major lakes that supply water to the city: Vihar, Lower Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tulsi, Tansa and Powai.[108] Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake are located in Borivili National Park, within the city's limits.[109] The supply from Powai lake, also within the city limits, is used only for agricultural and industrial purposes.[110] Three small rivers, the Dahisar River, Poinsar (or Poisar) and Ohiwara (or Oshiwara) originate within the park, while the polluted Mithi River originates from Tulsi Lake and gathers water overflowing from Vihar and Powai Lakes.[111] The coastline of the city is indented with numerous creeks and bays, stretching from Thane creek on the eastern to Madh Marve on the western front.[112] The eastern coast of Salsette Island is covered with large mangrove swamps, rich in biodiversity, while the western coast is mostly sandy and rocky.[113]
Soil cover in the city region is predominantly sandy due to its proximity to the sea. In the suburbs, the soil cover is largely alluvial and loamy.[114] The underlying rock of the region is composed of black Deccan basalt flows, and their acidic and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras.[115] Mumbai sits on a seismically active zone owing to the presence of 23 fault lines in the vicinity.[116] The area is classified as a Seismic Zone III region,[117][118] which means an earthquake of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.[119]
Climate
Mumbai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate under the Koppen climate classification, with seven months of dryness and peak of rains in July.[120] The cold season from December to February is followed by the summer season from March to June. The period from June to about the end of September constitutes the south-west monsoon season, and October and November form the post-monsoon season.[121] Between June and September, the south west monsoon rains lash the city. Pre-monsoon showers are received in May. Occasionally, north-east monsoon showers occur in October and November. The maximum annual rainfall ever recorded was 3,452 millimetres (135.9 in) in 1954.[122] The highest rainfall recorded in a single day was 944 millimetres (37.17 in) on 26 July 2005.[123] The average total annual rainfall is 2,146.6 millimetres (84.51 in) in the Island City, and 2,457 millimetres (96.73 in) in the suburbs.[122]
The average annual temperature is 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), and the average annual precipitation is 216.7 centimetres (85.31 in).[124] In the Island City, the average maximum temperature is 31.2 °C (88.2 °F), while the average minimum temperature is 23.7 °C (74.7 °F). In the suburbs, the daily mean maximum temperature range from 29.1 °C (84.4 °F) to 33.3 °C (91.9 °F), while the daily mean minimum temperature ranges from 16.3 °C (61.3 °F) to 26.2 °C (79.2 °F).[122] The record high is 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on 28 March 1982,[125] and the record low is 7.4 °C (45.3 °F) on 27 January 1962.[126]
Economy
The Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest in Asia
Mumbai is India's largest city and is considered the financial capital of the country as it generates 5% of the total GDP.[6][91] It serves as an economic hub of India, contributing 10% of factory employment, 25% of industrial output, 33% of income tax collections, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax collections, 40% of India's foreign trade and Rs. 40 billion (US$ 820 million) in corporate taxes.[128] Mumbai's GDP is Rs 200,483 crore (US$ 41.3 billion),[129] and its per-capita income is Rs. 65,361 (US$ 1,350), which is almost three times the national average.[66] Many of India's numerous conglomerates (including Larsen and Toubro, Reserve Bank of India, State Bank of India, LIC, Tata Group, Godrej and Reliance),[91] and five of the Fortune Global 500 companies are based in Mumbai.[130] Many foreign banks and financial institutions also have branches in this area,[91] with the World Trade Centre being the most prominent one.[131] Until the 1970s, Mumbai owed its prosperity largely to textile mills and the seaport, but the local economy has since been diversified to include engineering, diamond-polishing, healthcare and information technology.[132] As of 2008, the Globalization and World Cities Study Group (GaWC) has ranked Mumbai as an "Alpha world city", third in its categories of Global cities.[133]
India's 300 million strong middle-class population is growing at an annual rate of 5%.[134] Shown here is a residential area in the Mumbai metropolitan region
State and central government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. Mumbai also has a large unskilled and semi-skilled self employed population, who primarily earn their livelihood as hawkers, taxi drivers, mechanics and other such blue collar professions. The port and shipping industry is well established, with Mumbai Port being one of the oldest and most significant ports in India.[135] In Dharavi, in central Mumbai, there is an increasingly large recycling industry, processing recyclable waste from other parts of the city; the district has an estimated 15,000 single-room factories.[136]
Most of India's major television and satellite networks, as well as its major publishing houses, are headquartered in Mumbai. The centre of the Hindi movie industry, Bollywood, is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world.[137][138] Along with the rest of India, Mumbai, its commercial capital, has witnessed an economic boom since the liberalisation of 1991, the finance boom in the mid-nineties and the IT, export, services and outsourcing boom in 2000s.[139] Mumbai has been ranked 48th on the Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index 2008.[140] In April 2008, Mumbai was ranked seventh in the list of "Top Ten Cities for Billionaires" by Forbes magazine,[141] and first in terms of those billionaires' average wealth.[142]
Civic administration
Greater Mumbai, both island city and suburbs as a whole, is administered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) (formerly the Bombay Municipal Corporation), with executive power vested in the Municipal Commissioner, who is an IAS officer appointed by the state government.[143] Greater Mumbai extends from Colaba in the south to Mulund, Mankhurd, and Dahisar in the north, and is under the jurisdiction of the BMC.[102] Mumbai is headed by mayor Shubha Raul, Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak, and Sheriff Indu Shahani. The BMC is in charge of the civic and infrastructure needs of the metropolis.[144] An Assistant Municipal Commissioner oversees each ward for administrative purposes.[143] Almost all the state political parties field candidates in the elections for Councillors. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region consists of 7 Municipal Corporations and 13 Municipal Councils. In addition to the BMC, it includes the Municipal Corporations of Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Bhiwandi-Nizampur and Ulhasnagar.[145] Greater Mumbai forms two districts of Maharashtra, each under the jurisdiction of a District Collector.[146] The Collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central Government, and oversee the national elections held in the city.[147][148]
The Mumbai Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an IPS officer. The Mumbai Police comes under the state Home Ministry.[149] The city is divided into seven police zones and seventeen traffic police zones,[98] each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police.[150] The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Fire Brigade department is headed by the Chief Fire Officer, who is assisted by four Deputy Chief Fire Officers and six Divisional Officers.[98]
Mumbai is the seat of the Bombay High Court, which exercises jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra and Goa, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.[151] Mumbai also has two lower courts, the Small Causes Court for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.[152] Mumbai also has a special TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities) court for people accused of conspiring and abetting acts of terrorism in the city.
Transport
Public transport systems in Mumbai include the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, taxis, auto rickshaws, ferries, and aeroplanes, and plays a dominant role. Rail and bus services combined carry about 88% of the passenger traffic.[172] Black and yellow metered taxis traverse most of the metropolis. Auto rickshaws operate only in the suburban areas of Mumbai, while taxis mostly operate in South Mumbai.[173] Taxis and rickshaws run on Compressed Natural Gas,[174] and are the most convenient, economical, and easily available means of transport.[173] Mumbai has about 1.53 million vehicles,[175] 56,459 black and yellow taxis, and 1,02,224 auto rickshaws, as of 2005.[176]
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus, is the headquarters of the Central Railway and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mumbai is served by National Highway 3, National Highway 4 and National Highway 8 of the Indian National Highways system.[177] The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was the first expressway ever built in India,[178] while the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway is under construction.[179] Recently, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge was opened, which along with Mahim Causeway, links the island city to the western suburbs.[180] The two main road stretches within the city are the Eastern Express Highway from Sion to Mulund, and the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Borivali.[181]
Mumbai is the headquarters of two railway zones: the Central Railway (CR) headquartered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and the Western Railway (WR) headquartered near Churchgate.[182] The backbone of the city's transport, the Mumbai Suburban Railway, consists of three separate networks: Central, Western, and Harbour Line, running the length of the city, in a north-south direction.[183] The Mumbai Metro is an underground and elevated rapid transit system currently under construction.[184] The Mumbai Monorail, currently under construction, will run from Jacob Circle to Wadala when it is completed.[185] Mumbai is well connected to most parts of India by the Indian Railways. Trains originate from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mumbai Central, Bandra terminus and Andheri.[186] Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 6.3 million passengers every day.[187] Which is more than half of Indian Railways daily carrying capacity utilized by Mumbai. Trains are overcrowded during peak hours, with nine-car trains having a maximum capacity of 1,700 passengers, carrying around 4,500 passengers.[188] During 2003–2008, about 20,000 rail deaths were reported on the suburban railway, with an average of 10 deaths per day.[189]
A Modern BEST bus (Starbus). BEST buses carry a total of 4.5 million passengers daily
The bus services carry over 5.5 million passengers per day.[172] Public buses run by BEST cover almost all parts of the metropolis, as well as parts of Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Thane.[190] Buses are used for commuting short to medium distances, while train fares are more economical for long distance commutes.[191] The BEST runs a total of 4,013 buses,[192] ferrying 4.5 million passengers daily[172] over 390 routes.[193] Its fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker, vestibule, low-floor, disabled-friendly, air-conditioned and the Euro III compliant Compressed Natural Gas powered buses.[192] Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses provide intercity transport and connect Mumbai with other major cities of Maharashtra and India.[194][195] The Mumbai Darshan is a tourist bus service which explores numerous tourist attractions in Mumbai.[196] Mumbai BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) lanes have been planned throughout Mumbai, with buses running on seven routes as of March 2009.[197] Though 88% of the commuters travel by public transport, Mumbai still continues to struggle with traffic congestion.[198] The city has been categorized as one of the most congested cities in the world.[199]
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is India's busiest airport.[200]
Mumbai from Sky
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly Sahar International Airport) is the main aviation hub in the city and the busiest airport in India.[200] The Juhu aerodrome was India's first airport, and now hosts a flying club and a heliport.[201] The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport which is to be built in the Kopra-Panvel area has been sanctioned by the Indian Government and would help relieve the increasing traffic burden on the existing airport.[202]
Mumbai is served by two major ports, Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.[203] Mumbai Port has one of the best natural harbours in the world, and has extensive wet and dry dock accommodation facilities.[204] Jawaharlal Nehru Port, commissioned on 26 May 1989, is the most modern major port in India.[205] It handles 55–60% of the country's total containerized cargo.[206] Mumbai is the headquarters of the Western Naval Command, and also an important base for the Indian Navy, Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.[102] Ferries from Ferry Wharf in Mazagaon allow access to islands near the city.[207]
