Why safer Mumbai local trains would need much more than just doors

India Today

2 days ago

Mumbai loves its local trains. Amidst all the uncertainties of what it takes to survive in Maximum City, this is one thing that never deceives. Commuter trains run on time, and come hail or high waters—which is not uncommon—run for sure.That's why, Mumbaikars never really want their local trains to change. Even if these take lives daily—that's just life in one of the world's busiest and most densely populated cities.advertisementOn June 9, for instance, during morning rush hour (between 9:10 am and 9:30 am), two overcrowded local trains passed dangerously closely between Diva and Mumbra (Kopar area) on the Central Railway line. Some passengers, hanging on footboards or standing near open doors, were suddenly jolted by the proximity and motion of the trains.Apparently, the backpacks of two passengers got entangled. This caused at least eight people to fall onto the tracks, leaving four dead and the others injured.
Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s. One of them, Vicky (Vickey) Babasaheb Mukhidal, 34, a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable stationed at Thane, was returning home after duty.This track stretch, in Thane's Mumbra, is typically where trains closely cross each other, endangering the lives of commuters illegally hanging out. What this means is everybody who uses this service knows the dangers. And yet.advertisementUntil a few years ago, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had been cracking down on a new social media trend of young travellers taking selfies while hanging out of moving trains.The suburban trains on Mumbai's Central and Western lines carry passengers up to thrice their capacity during peak hours. If a local train's capacity is around 1,500 people, it typically carries more than double the number in busy hours. The system cannot accommodate more trains within the peak-hour time brackets to ease the rush. There's simply no track available for that.It's also nearly impossible to physically restrict the number of people boarding a train. It has been tried unsuccessfully in the past. No one can be denied a ticket, and daily commuters usually have monthly passes.The railways have now decided to install doors with louvers in non-AC commuter trains to boost safety while ensuring the ride doesn't get stuffy. How long passengers will allow shut doors is another matter altogether.Every year, around 2,000 commuters die on the Mumbai suburban train network—an average of five daily. The railways calls them 'trespassing deaths'.About a decade ago, the railways had pitched the idea of another rail corridor along the local train route on the Western line—from Churchgate to Virar, covering 63 km, with sections elevated, underground and at ground level. It was supposed to be a joint venture with the Maharashtra government.advertisementThe estimated ridership was pegged at around 1.68 million per day— that's a huge load taken off the existing local trains that carry over 7 million people daily.The new rail corridor was to cost around Rs 21,000 crore. But as it often happens in India, the state and the Centre could not agree on who should pay how much and why to get the project off the ground. There were also concerns about how much land would be needed and where and how to value that. Long story short, the project got abandoned and so did Mumbai's chance to get an upgrade of its local train network.Mumbai's metro rail system, designed to give commuters a more dignified and faster mass transit experience, is seeing ridership numbers only around half of what was projected. The hope is that it will be more useful perhaps after the entire 523-km-long network is operational.The local train is also an emotive and politically sensitive issue. Any upward revision in fares or change in the timetable or any configuration of the services invites people's ire. In the first year of the Narendra Modi government, then railway minister Sadananda Gowda had to roll back a proposed hike in suburban train fares after facing immense political heat from Maharashtra.advertisementAll this means that to make Mumbai's beloved local trains safer for its commuters, one would need to install much more than just doors.Subscribe to India Today Magazine