Trespassing deaths down by nearly 40%, says CR

Demolition of sloping ends of platforms has been a success, say CR officials; plan to expand project

MUMBAI: The Central Railway’s (CR) decision to modify platforms on railway stations by demolishing the sloping ends to keep trespassing under control and prevent deaths has borne fruit.

As per data shared by CR officials, trespassing-related incidents dropped from 276 from January to March 2023 to 195 incidents during this period in 2024. An incident is recorded when a case is filed. The number of trespassing deaths has dropped from 229 last year to 143 this year, a drop of 37.5%, during the same period. The number of commuters injured while trespassing has however increased from 47 to 52 this year.

The railways cited critical stations where trespassing was rampant. Sources said stations like Thane are an example where cutting the slopes of platforms was needed as people dangerously access tracks via the Thane Creek bridge. Other locations witnessing high instances of trespassing include Wadala, Kurla, Govandi, Parsik, Byculla, and Raoli junction.

“We made several representations in the past asking the railways to take corrective measures and improve safety. We are glad this step has been taken,” said Nandkumar Deshmukh who heads the Thane Railway Pravasi Sanghatana.

CR has taken up this task on the Main and Harbour lines between Csmt-kalyan/panvel and will be extended further on Kalyan-kasara/karjat. Late last year, CR authorities trimmed the slopes of platforms across more than 100 railway stations in the suburban section.

The primary objective was to deter individuals from venturing onto the tracks, a practice that not only leads to accidents but also disrupts train operations.

“We had taken up this work of cutting the slopes at the ends of platforms after we found that commuters were trespassing from the ends. In the mid-section there is adequate fencing. We took a review and based on the gathered data we found that the incidents of trespass have come down in the first three months of this year,” said a senior official from CR.

On the suburban section of CR, there are 286 ramps of which over 90% have been demolished. Officials said 65-70% deaths on rail tracks are reported due to trespassing of which a majority occur while using the sloped ramps of the platforms.

Sources said that from January to March this year they have seen 546 unusual incidents compared to 755 last year during the same period. “This is certainly a much welcome step taken by the railways. This will act as a deterrent to trespass on rail lines and improve safety. The railways should also install barriers just before the slope rather than leaving it open,” said Kailash Verma, member of Railway Pravasi Sangh.