Bo 10.12 F00

C 10.15 F3,V 10.17 F5,N 10.25 S13 these might appear to you as indecipherable codes if you are not a mumbaikar.These actually are the variables specifying timings for the local train and their destination .

Let me tell you the algorithm to decode this .The first alaphbet points to the destination of the train,the second place is for the time of arrival,the alphabet following it specifies whether the upcoming train is fast or slow .Fast train halts only at major stations till second last major station and at every station then onwards till the last station whereas slow train stops at every station between the starting and the final point .The final coloumn indicates no. of minutes left for the arrival .

I was smitten by the local train's working pattern when I tripped in it for the first time and my admiration for it has only grown as time has passed .I remember throwing challenges to myself as to learn the itinerary of locals from Borivali to Churchgate .Though it seemed to be a clinch but somehow I used to forget it everytime my tenure in mumbai ended and I had to start the whole exercise from ground zero next time I came to the city .But time has made me wise and now I even know the routes for the central line .

Nothing much has changed since my first interaction with the locals except for the introduction of grills in windows and setting of loud speakers in the compartment which are meant to yell out the upcoming station (this is futile cuz of the cacophony going in the compartment) .The sudden rise and fall in no. of people on the platform just before and after local has arrived may surprise a newbie .But this phenomena is contiguous from 4 in the morning till 1.40 at night till the last local departs for it's destination .The most amazing part of travelling in local is that unlike normal trains where you find experts raving about each and every thing from politics to cricket and from panipuri to hajmola, such highly qualified intellectualls sit(or stand most of the time) secluded from the strangers and most of them utilize this short journey for taking a nap.

Passengers travelling in locals are master in laws of mechanics and use their skills to the best .Running couple of meters while catching the moving train and coursing along the platform just cuz you aborted the journey before train came to a still so as to avoid the voracious herd running on to you to start their journey may seem obvious but if not done with perfection can be precarious .Travelling in locals may be an austere task but there are couple of things which makes it complicated and troublesome .First of all it is the change of tracks that you have do if you have to travel from a station in western line to a station in central line and vice versa.Lack of knowledge might lead you in unwanting circumstances.Secondly ,long and aeonian ques might exasperate you and you actaully decide not to travel in locals unless it is matter of life and death.Despite these minor obstacles you still tend to enjoy your ride til you get bored of it with frequent encounters.So, next time you visit this glam-sham city and if you haven't yet taken a ride in local, go ahead and enjoy it....