Despite ₹551 crore outlay, 2,428 died while crossing tracks in 2 years

Mumbai: Despite the railways spending a bulk of the ₹551-crore allocation to prevent people from trespassing railway tracks, 48% or 2,428 of the 5,058 deaths on railway tracks in the city over the past two years were owing to commuters crossing tracks. The remaining deaths occurred due to falling off moving trains, suicide, falling into the gap of platform and train, hitting poles and electrocution.

According to the latest data from the railways, out of 2,468 deaths on tracks in 2024, 1,151 died while crossing the tracks. The highest number of deaths on the Central Railway network were recorded at Kalyan, where 102 out of the 333 fatalities were due to crossing tracks; on the Western Railway network, Vasai recorded the highest number of deaths at 227, of which 128 were due to crossing tracks.

In 2023, 2,590 people died on railway tracks, of which 1,277 deaths were due to crossing the tracks.

The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has, under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3, identified 34 locations on Western and Central Railway suburban networks where people routinely cross railway tracks. Work on remedial measures, such as foot over bridges (FOBs), linkways and subways, have been initiated at all 34 locations, of which 30 structures are complete. Additionally, boundary walls measuring around 46 km (10.75 km on Western Railway, 32.91 km on Central Railway) have been erected at strategic locations to prevent people from crossing railway tracks.

“The new FOBs not only curb trespassing but also enhance overall travel experience for millions of daily commuters,” said Subhash Chand Gupta, chairman and managing director, MRVC.

Despite the efforts, people always find a shortcut to reach the railway station by breaking boundary walls and walking on tracks, alleged MRVC officials.

Rajiv Singhal, member, Zonal Rail Users Consultative Committee, said during peak hours, many commuters board trains from the railway tracks instead of platforms to beat the crowd, which leads to accidents and deaths.

“At some locations, people have damaged boundary walls to enter railway premises. The authorities need to take adequate steps to educate people,” he said.

Railway police conduct regular drives against illegal slums on railway land to prevent trespassing, which does not seem to be working, said representatives of rail passenger associations.