Overcrowded Mumbai local trains claim 10 lives everyday

Almost 10 people were killed every working day while commuting on Mumbai's overcrowded suburban railway system in 2015, the railway administration has admitted.

The Western and Central Railway suburban corridors in Mumbai, which extend more than 100km from Churchgate and CST respectively (to Dahanu, Kasara, Karjat and Khopoli) carry more than 6.5 million commuters daily.

But overcrowding and risky travel practices by some commuters - including travelling on the footboard and windows, or crossing tracks - resulted in the deaths of 3,304 in 2015. Another 3,349 commuters suffered injuries during the year.

This roughly works out to 10 commuter deaths on working days. It is virtually impossible to find even a toehold in some of Mumbai's suburban trains during the morning and evening rush hours, but commuters take a lot of risks by jumping into and out of moving trains, standing on windows, or avoiding foot over-bridges and jumping on to the tracks to cross platforms.

Unfortunately, many of the lives could have been saved if adequate and timely medical aid was provided to the victims. However, absence of such aid results in many accident victims bleeding to death.

Samir Zaveri, a commuter who lost his legs in a railway accident, had filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court, seeking medical facilities for accident victims.

Railway authorities told the court that ambulances are positioned outside most stations to rush victims to hospitals. But a majority of Mumbai's stations are over-congested, with hawkers taking up much of the open space outside these stations.

Besides vendors, illegal parking by autorickshaws, taxis and cars and the movement of buses prevents quick movement by ambulances.

Activists also point out that when a commuter falls from a moving train between two stations, it takes a long time for the police to come to the rescue of the victim.

The court directed the railways to set up separate teams to rush to the help of victims at stations and along the tracks. At present, station masters - who also have to attend to delays in trains, angry commuters and other matters - are supposed to arrange for help for the victims.

Unlike modern metro rail systems, Mumbai's suburban trains are non-airconditioned and the doors do not shut when the train moves.

Indian Railways has been promising that airconditioned coaches would be introduced in Mumbai, but there has been undue delay in the launch of these services.

Both Western and Central railways have set up high-level committees to examine the growing instances of accidental deaths along the suburban corridors.