Mumbai is one of these super densely populated cities where way too many people live in such a small area. I think the official count is 13 million but other estimates put the number at 20 million.
Mumbaikars get around on a rail network that connects the suburbs (New Mumbai or Navi Mumbai, in my case) to the city center. Trains run frequently, often every 5 to 10 minutes, but are almost always packed. “Packed” though is an understatement by western standards of the word.
Last Sunday afternoon I took the train into town and for the first few stops things were okay. Then loads of people started cramming into the train, pushing and shoving like I’ve never seen before. On my 45 minute trip to Victoria Terminus, two scuffles broke out and its pretty clear locals dislike the crowds as much as I. There are separate compartments for woman because at its peak there is literally no space between bodies. The only thing I can compare it with is the Mexico City subway during rush hour, but the Mumbai Suburban Train Network is definitely worse.