As per the data revealed by the Government Railway Police (GRP), 406 people have died from falling off crowded trains while 871 have suffered serious injuries from January to July, 2018.
To curb the fatal incidents, Union Minister of Railways of India Piyush Goyal has stated “Railways to construct footbridges and elevated pathways at a cost of Rs 200 crores on Mumbai suburban network which will save precious lives lost due to track-related incidents, especially trespassing.”
Railways to construct footbridges and elevated pathways at a cost of ₹200 crores on Mumbai suburban network which will save precious lives lost due to track-related incidents, especially trespassing. pic.twitter.com/yXNF9J0I1x
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) September 2, 2018
The plan called ‘Mid-section Trespass Control Project’ will built 28 footbridges, including two extensions and seven pathways leading to sky-walks, across Main, Harbour and Western Lines by May 2020. The project will also focus on the stretches between two stations.
The project will be executed as part of Mumbai Urban Transport Project. Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) spokesperson Sanjay Singh said that it would help reduce track related causalities as commuters would have a safer option to get from one side to another.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Railway Police, Niket Kaushik said that travelling on foot-boards and leaning out of the trains are the reasons for the rise in the number of deaths. “This year, the number of people who died and were injured has increased.”
Last year, 360 people died after falling off trains till July, and 654 people died through the year.