Mumbai’s deadly tracks! 406 people died after falling off crowded trains, 871 seriously injured between Jan and July

Railways are the lifeline of Mumbai, but this lifeline has also claimed many lives. As per the data released by the Government Railway Police (GRP), from January to July, 406 people have died due to falling off from crowded trains and 871 have suffered serious injuries.

According to Hindustan Times, the number of casualties has increased this year. Last year, 360 people died after falling off trains till July, and 654 people died through the year. Niket Kaushik, commissioner of railway police told the leading daily, “This year, the number of people who died and were injured has increased.”

In 2011, a study was undertaken by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) in which it recommended ways to decongest suburban trains. The study recommended, the introduction of 12- and 15-car rakes, cab signalling, and a Communication Based Train Control (CBDT) to achieve a two-minute headway for Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR). But the railways have only adopted 12 and 15 car rakes.

Anoop Shukla, senior divisional security commissioner (DSC ), Railway Protection Force (RPF) told the leading daily, “There are infrastructure problems leading to overcrowding in local trains, which is a serious issue and can only be solved by increasing train services.”