City Pulse

Mumbai, Maharashtra: Railway stations are supposed to be out of bounds for the ticket-less, and railway tracks, no-man’s land! But in Mumbai, railway stations are often treated like parks. And railway tracks, they are for anybody to cross and squat at any time of the day and night.

There are stations like Kurla and Ghatkopar where entry from any side is possible. What is forgotten or ignored is that because of such breaches, the genuine commuter is at risk.

A 2015 Observer Research Foundation (ORF) report said that between 2002 and 2011, Kurla and Borivali stations recorded 4,866 and 4,217 deaths respectively because people trespassed on railway tracks.

An RTI query in 2016 revealed that out of 3,202 train-linked fatalities, 1,798 were because people came in the way of speeding trains while walking across railway tracks.

Till September of this year, 2,221 people were killed on Mumbai’s railway tracks.

Behind all these unfortunate numbers, there is a common fact: People took a walk across railway tracks and paid the price.

Those who read sections 147 and 175 of The Indian Railways Act, 1989 would know that both laws are being flouted openly by railway staff, security officials and commuters. That unauthorized entry/exit points contribute to the deaths of 8-10 people every day on railway tracks.

Section 147 bars people from entering any part of a railway premise without lawful authority. Punishment is imprisonment up to six months, or fine up to Rs 1000, or both.

Subhash Gupta of the Suburban Railway Users Consultative Committee (SRUCC) holds the railways responsible for the breach of law.

“Lack of foot over-bridges (FOBs) and the distance at which they are situated compel commuters to walk across tracks. People residing around railway stations are more likely to do so,” Gupta said.

“They pull down sections of boundary walls or make holes in them to avoid walking all the way to an FOB at the other end of the station.”

He said railway officials should step out of their air-conditioned offices and see the reality on the ground.

Another SRUCC member, Lata Argade, refused to blame the railways alone. “To blame railways staff for lack of civic obedience isn’t right. It is not that there are no FOBs. It’s just that people are always in a hurry. Commuters lack patience and discipline,” Argade said.

Narrow FOBs like the one at Elphinstone Road Station, site of the September 29 stampede that left 23 people dead, leave commuters vulnerable and at risk.

Similarly, questions were raised after a part of the skywalk at Charni Road station collapsed. One person was injured in the mishap. The skywalk was marked as ‘dilapidated’ in May.

“The railways are not well-equipped to manage huge crowds. Last minute train cancellations, change of platforms for train arrivals and wrong announcements cost time and energy,” Preeti Shah, a daily commuter from Mira Road to Vadala Road, said.  

Also, the decade-old FOBs at Central line stations like Kasara and Titwala are not in a condition to handle the rise in population in adjoining areas.

Yet, the Western Railways' (WR) Elphinstone Road stampede probe report, which has held heavy rain and over-crowding responsible for the incident, suggests that the railways has always washed its hands of any accountability.

However, the incident seems to have struck a chord since on Wednesday, WR announced measures to address the safety concerns of Mumbai suburban railway passengers. It said that a boundary wall of 17.5 km will be built in sections from Churchgate to Virar. In addition, 30 locations have been identified for additional construction of 12 FOBs and 17 existing ones will be replaced. The WR has also ensured that it will identify illegal entry and exit points and post home guards for better crowd management.

These measures may provide some immediate relief. It is certain though that only a major infrastructural overhaul at railway stations can bring in a permanent change. That said, a change in mindset of commuters as well as railway staff ​ is needed too.