For people in Mumbai, local trains are more than just transport; they are places where friendships start and everyday stories unfold. To make this daily journey smoother, the official Mumbai local train app, Yatri, has added a new real-time chat feature called Yatri Chat.

The Yatri Chat feature offers live alerts and announcements from Indian Railways, but it also goes further by connecting commuters directly. As reported by Mid-Day, the tool is designed to help Mumbai’s nearly 8 million daily travellers stay informed throughout their journey.

Each major railway corridor, Western, Central, Harbour, and Trans-Harbour, now has its own community chat group. This keeps messages relevant and makes it easier for users to follow updates about the line they use every day, instead of searching through random online posts.

With the new feature, passengers can post on-ground updates, ask doubts, reply to others, and share useful information. The reply option helps create a two-way, interactive space. Whether it’s a delayed train, a crowded platform, or a small issue at a station, users can now exchange details instantly within the app.

Speaking to Mid-Day, Reeva Sakaria, co-founder of Yatri, said that Mumbai’s local trains have always been places where people bond. Many regular travellers form “train groups” and “train friendships,” which are a special part of the city’s culture.

According to her, Yatri Chat brings this same community feeling into a digital space without losing the essence.

Sakaria explained how the feature differs from general WhatsApp groups. She said WhatsApp groups often mix chats from many places and have limited group sizes. Yatri Chat, however, keeps discussions specific to each rail line, ensuring that commuters only see the most helpful and relevant information. This reduces unwanted messages and prevents the confusion that comes from multiple unrelated chats.