Mumbai, Oct. 10 -- Official railway data confirms what commuters have long known: Mumbai's railway stations are among the country's busiest, with five of India's 10 most crowded stations for long-distance trains located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). All five-Thane, Kalyan, Panvel, Dadar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-are on the Central Railway (CR) network. According to the latest available data, for 2023-24, compiled by the railway ministry, the five stations handled a combined 306.7 million passengers, or around 840,000 a day. Thane topped the national list with 93 million passengers, followed by Kalyan with 83.7 million. CSMT ranked fourth with 51.6 million passengers, Panvel sixth with 46.2 million and Dadar ninth with 32.2 million. The numbers reflect Mumbai's pull as the country's financial and entertainment hub, drawing a continuous stream of migrants seeking jobs and higher wages. "Mumbai is the financial capital, and it's sure to attract people across the country for jobs and livelihood," said Siddesh Desai, a member of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh. "There is a need for the railways to upgrade stations along the lines of metro rail stations. This would improve the safety. Ticketing systems also need to be improved." Railway officials said the high passenger density at Mumbai's stations is especially evident during the festive season, when a large number of people visit their hometowns. Demand on popular routes often far outstrips berth availability, making confirmed tickets difficult to obtain. "Passengers hauling heavy suitcases, bags and bundles of luggage jostle for space on crowded platforms, struggle to find their way through the rush and make desperate attempts to board long-distance trains during the festive season," said a railway official. For many, the ordeal begins even before they reach the station. "There are difficulties in booking tickets on the IRCTC website, which sees over 1.4 million clicks per minute. Long queues at reservation counters offer little relief to those unable to secure confirmed tickets," added the official. To meet the seasonal demand, CR announced 734 special trains from October 1 for the Dusshera, Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals. "Despite running more special trains, holiday trains, catering to so many passengers is very challenging. We are increasing the platform length at many stations so that we can augment the length of coaches, but even that seems insufficient," said another railway official. With Thane and Kalyan occupying the top two positions nationally, the data also points to the importance of suburban interchange stations, which handle both local commuters and long-distance travellers. Mumbai's suburban rail network carries 6.5-7 million commuters daily. "There is a need to improve the overall mechanism by the railways, at least from Mumbai," said Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of the Thane Railway Pravasi Sangh....