Mumbai: The Western Railway line targeted by terrorists in Tuesday's blasts carries a world-record 255 million passengers per km of route every year.
The busiest segment on the line between Churchgate terminus and Dahanu Road is Churchagte and Virar, which carries 900 million passengers per year.
The daily traffic on the line is 2.6 million passengers, which is 43 per cent of the total rail traffic on the Mumbai suburban system, the lifeline of the city.
Tuesday's seven blasts occurred in Matunga, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road stations in a gap of 20 minutes.
"The first blast occurred at the Matunga station at 6:25 PM," said Western Railway spokesman Pranay Prabhakar. He added that the bombs were either planted in first class compartments or in the adjoining compartments.
The Mumbai suburban railway, the oldest railway system in Asia, has its origins from the first railway built by the British in India in 1853.
The first train ran between Mumbai and Thane, a distance of 34 km.
A separate entity called the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation operates the suburban railway system.
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