A hunger strike by Mumbai’s suburban rail motormen kept as many as 7 million commuters from reaching work in India’s commercial capital today. Western Railways, which operates services connecting the southern tip of the city to the suburbs of Bandra and Virar, will run 250 trains, a fifth of its normal service, according to a statement on its website. Trains on the central line were also affected by the strike called to demand higher wages.

The two rail networks carry 3.5 million people each, mostly to the southern end of the city, home to the nation’s equities, money and commodity markets, the central bank and companies such as Reliance Industries Ltd.