An official said work-from-home maybe a reason for the ridership falling short, while other causes could be increased short distance travel and permanent migration of the labour class from the metropolis and surrounding areas amid the pandemic. Mumbai's suburban network, operated by CR and Western Railway, used to have a daily passenger count of 80 lakh, before large-scale restrictions, including travel only for essential and frontline staff during the peak of the pandemic, bringing down ridership drastically, officials said.
