In an accident, five people lost their lives after falling from an overcrowded Mumbai local train on June 9. The incident happened around 9:30 am when a Kasara-CSMT train reached Mumbra near Thane. This incident showcases that there is a need for management and infrastructure development. In the last 2 decades, 51,802 people lost their lives in train accidents. Of the 51,802 fatalities, 22,481 were recorded on the Western Railway (WR) and 29,321 on the Central Railway (CR). The four stations with the highest number of fatalities were Kalyan, Thane, Vasai, and Borivli. Yatin Jadhav, a commuter from Virar, petitioned the Bombay High Court, and the WR and CR provided the statistics in an affidavit. At the moment, the WR has 1,394 suburban services that transport 35 lakh passengers per day, whilst the CR has 1,810 suburban services that transport 40 lakh passengers every day.
Cause Of Mishap:The major causes of train mishaps are passengers falling off moving trains and crossing tracks.
Line Crossing: Thane had the most line-crossing fatalities in 2023 (179), followed by Borivli (154). Thane led the list of fatalities in 2024 with 151, followed by Borivli with 137.
Falling off trains: Kalyan had the highest number of fatalities from train falls in 2023 (114), followed by Vasai (45). Kalyan once again had the most fatalities in 2024 (116), while Vasai had the same number (45).
The Central Railway (CR) stated that 29,321 people lost their lives between 2009 and June 2024. Apart from line crossing and falling off crowded trains, it cited another reason for deaths. It stated, some passengers were knocked down by poles adjacent to railway tracks, and even gaps between the platform and the train footboards.
According to the CR, they have increased the capacity to carry passengers while lowering the number of fatalities during the last 15 years. According to the affidavit, there were 1,782 fatalities and 1,614 injuries in 2009; in 2023, that number dropped to 1,221 fatalities and 938 injuries. The CR had asked the court to help them order the Maharashtra government to implement staggered office hours. Additionally, it wanted to curb unlawful sand mining at Mumbra Creek, remove some encroachments along the railway tracks, particularly at the Parsik Tunnel, and build a parallel road between Thane and Kalyan.
According to the WR affidavit, 26,572 people suffered injuries and 22,481 people died between 2005 and July 2024. There has been a decrease in the number of fatalities and injuries, according to WR. In 2023, there were 936 fatalities and 984 injuries, compared to 1,084 deaths and 1,517 injuries in 2016. The Western Railway administration's Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Santosh Kumar Singh Rathore, stated in the affidavit that while the administration was cognisant of every injury and fatality on their system, "our efforts are not fruitful until we receive better cooperation from the passengers."