Activist had flagged flaw in Mumbra stn curvature 4 months ago: ‘In accordance with standard practices', Railways had responded

Indian Express

a day ago

On Monday morning, four people lost their lives and seven others were injured after passengers fell off two moving local trains near Mumbra railway station in Thane.
According to officials, the incident occurred when Kasara-bound train, which started from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, experienced a sudden jerk while navigating a sharp curve between Diva and Mumbra stations, causing commuters standing at the doors of the two trains to collide and fall off.
Notably, exactly four months ago, activist Ananda Maruti Patil from Diva had warned Central Railways about the potential for such a tragedy, urging immediate action. His concerns, however, went unaddressed—culminating in the very disaster he had tried to prevent.
On February 20 , Patil, a 50-year-old resident of Diva, wrote to the Railway Minister and the General Manager of Central Railways, raising serious concerns about passenger safety on the Kalwa–Mumbra–Diva stretch. Patil said he was compelled to take this step following repeated accidents and mounting complaints from fellow commuters about the dangers along this corridor.
'Beyond Kalwa station, particularly around the Parsik tunnel, and on both the Up and Down lines near Mumbra station, as well as along the curved stretches leading to Diva, train coaches tend to tilt while in motion,' Patil wrote in the letter.
'During peak hours, due to extreme overcrowding, train compartments are heavily packed. As a result, when trains tilt, passengers standing near the doors lose balance due to the pressure of the crowd and are thrown out of the train. Several commuters have suffered serious injuries, and tragically, some have lost their lives. These incidents are happening repeatedly, creating a serious threat to passenger safety. I urge you to take immediate and appropriate action in this regard and inform me in writing about the steps taken,' Patil had said in his letter.
A month later, Patil received a response from the Railways acknowledging the presence of curves along the stretch, stating that the track design, including the curvature, was in accordance with standard practices outlined in the Railway Manual.
'The major track portion between Kalwa–Mumbra–Diva is on a curvature. As per standard practice given in the Railway Manual, CANT (the raising of the outer rail on a curve) is provided in curve to facilitate the safe and smooth riding on the curve. While providing CANT, normally the outer rail is kept higher than the inner rail. Hence, the train leans towards the inner track while travelling over the curve. The technical survey has also been done for the same,' the Railways said in its reply dated March 18.
Patil said the Railways failed to act after his formal complaint.
'The root cause of repeated accidents on the Mumbra–Kalwa–Diva route is the uncontrolled overcrowding and the tilting of coaches on curved sections of the track. I had officially raised this issue with the Ministry of Railways. While the authorities acknowledged the technical aspects, no concrete safety measures have been implemented. This continued endangerment of passengers' lives must stop. Mumbai-bound trains should begin from Diva station to reduce the load,' said Patil.
Interestingly, the Railways has addressed similar safety concerns in the past. In March 2024, after multiple incidents of passengers falling from trains between Sion and Kurla stations, the Railways undertook 'track slewing'—a process involving the lateral shifting of tracks to increase the distance between them. This is done to reduce the risk of passengers standing at doorways colliding when trains pass each other at close proximity. The intervention was prompted by reports from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) highlighting repeated accidents in that section.
Patil said a similar timely intervention on the Mumbra–Diva stretch could have saved the four lives lost in Monday's tragedy.
'It's heartbreaking to see how people from far-off places travel to Mumbai in such inhuman conditions. The congestion on platforms and inside trains reduces commuters to mere cattle. This dehumanisation of working-class passengers must end,' said the activist.