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More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14773 Bhaswati Mondal · Gopa Samanta Mobilities in India The Experience of Suburban Rail Commuting Bhaswati Mondal Gopa Samanta Department of Geography Department of Geography Rampurhat College The University of Burdwan Birbhum, West Bengal, India Bardhaman, West Bengal, India ISSN 2365-757X ISSN 2365-7588 (electronic) The Urban Book Series ISBN 978-3-030-78349-5 ISBN 978-3-030-78350-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78350-1 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland The book is dedicated to our beloved parents. Preface This book is the outcome of research conducted over a period of five years on suburban train commuting in Eastern India. It attempts to present the perceptions of commuters towards commuting. The book also analyses the role of suburban train commuting in the metropolitan expansion of Kolkata and the transformation of rural space within the catchment of Kolkata metropolis. The ground research is based on post-positivist philosophy and uses a trans-disciplinary research design, blending quantitative and ethnographic research methods. The area selected for the empirical survey is the Howrah–Bardhaman Main Suburban Railway Line (108 km), the first suburban railway line in Eastern India. This suburban line connects the metropolitan city of Kolkata with Bardhaman, headquarter of the rice bowl district of Purba Bard- haman, and passes through the urban agglomeration of Hooghly district. Workers residing in the adjacent three districts of Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Howrah, and commuting for work throughout the year, participated in this research. Besides commuters, non-commuting passengers, hawkers, auto drivers, rickshaw pullers,1 and the households of one census town that developed under the influence of commuting were surveyed. Primary data were collected using separate question- naires for each group. Focus group discussions and observed data have also been used to analyse the findings . The book has been organized into different chapters focusing on separate issues in each chapter. There are eight chapters in this book. Chapter 1 introduces the book. It explains the concept of mobility and commuting as a form of mobility. It identifies the research gap from where the idea of this book has come. Then, it defines the central research question, which is followed by five subsidiary research questions. Each of these subsidiary research questions is followed by a number of objectives. In this chapter, the philosophy of this research has been explained, along with the rationality of its application. The chapter also outlines the study area and justifications for selecting the study area. The database used in this research, methods of data collection, and methods of data analysis have been explained. This chapter also covers a review of past studies carried out by different researchers. The analysis of 1 Rickshaw is a three wheeled passenger cart. These are generally pulled by human beings or are cycled. vii viii Preface literature is done under different themes. The main thematic categories of literature include ideas of mobility, commuting as mobility, factors determining commute patterns, transport as significant component of commuting, commute experiences, etc. Chapter 2 presents the development of the suburban railway in India, with special reference to Eastern India. It then explains the relation between develop- ment of suburban railways, commuting, and metropolitan expansion of Kolkata city. The growth of 12 cities within Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) in the post- Independence period has been analysed in relation to growth of suburban railways. These cities grew at a more rapid rate than the inner city belt, which has been anal- ysed through the lens of the development of suburban railways and the growth of commuting. Chapter 3 explains the role of commuting in the reorganization of space. It presents the role of commuting in the transformation of a rural settlement into an urban one in the periphery of a metropolis. These new urban settlements have developed due to the facilities of commuting which play a wider role in enhancing rural–urban interaction in different forms, especially in terms of work opportunities. Chapter 4 explains the influence of a differential pattern of commuting on spatial organization of an area. It shows that there is no significant difference in commuting patterns at district level. Due to the differential nature of commuting, there are two distinguished divisions within the Howrah–Bardhaman suburban main line. The Bandel–Howrah section, on one hand, belongs to the KMA. It is characterized by greater volume of commuters, frequent train services, shorter interstation distance, and commuters with modern urban culture, etc. The Bardhaman–Bandel section, on the other hand, has lower volume of commuters, less frequent trains, longer intersta- tion distance, and commuters are basically of rural cultural background. This chapter also carries significant outcomes for transport and regional development policy initia- tives. It will help transport planners to identify the stations, which have fewer trains to serve a large volume of out-commuters, and accordingly