Thane railway station recorded 357 deaths last year: Police

Dombivli resident Rahul Patil, 23, crosses railway track every day. He takes a CST fast local and gets down at Thane.

He crosses the railway track and jumps to platform 9 or 10 to board Thane-Vashi train.

“I know crossing tracks is dangerous. If I get down at platform number six and use the foot overbridge to reach platform number 10, it will take 15-20 minutes. Crossing track is a short-cut for me,” said Patil.

Like Rahul, many passengers risk their lives every day.

As per the Thane railway police, a total of 357 deaths were recorded in 2015. The Thane railway police station caters to more than 7 lakh passengers daily with only 152 personnel.

“There are 11 railway stations under our jurisdiction. The major one is Thane station which sees 7 lakh passengers every day,” said SS Tondvalkar, senior police inspector Thane railway police.

“We have to patrol stations including Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva and Airoli. And also we have to cover Diva-Panvel route till Kalamboli,” said Tondvalkar.

The railways and the police have been spreading awareness about safety and have been appealing to commuters to use foot overbridges and subways.

“We have been telling people not to cross railway track, use foot overbridges and not to board moving trains. But, people do not follow rules,” said a railway official from Thane station.

Thane Passengers’ Association president Milind Ballal said that only spreading awareness is not the solution. “Passengers are increasing and services are not enough. The foot overbridges on platforms are always crowded. Increasing the frequency of trains and building wider foot over bridges are some solutions,” said Ballal.