A total of 17 persons died o— possibly the second highest suburban railway deaths in a day — at various locations in Mumbai’s rail network. On an average, 9-10 such deaths are reported in a day.
Cavalier commuters crossing railway tracks form a majority of victims of rail-related accidents in Mumbai. File pic
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A total of 17 persons died on Thursday— possibly the second highest suburban railway deaths in a day — at various locations in Mumbai’s rail network. On an average, 9-10 such deaths are reported in a day.
On September 2, 18 persons died in train-related accidents in Mumbai. Since January, over 2,000 commuters have lost their lives in the city.
Railway officials said a majority of the accidents took place as commuters crossed tracks. "On Thursday, 17 people died in rail-related accidents and 13 others were injured," confirmed a Western Railway official.
The official said the railways has been conducting awareness campaigns among commuters on the perils of disregarding safety measures.
Last year, the Central Railway had launched a multi-pronged approach to bring down rail-related accidents. The initiative included increasing the number of rakes from nine to 12, constructing walls near tracks and installing barricades. "Increasing the number of rakes brought down crowding issues, and there was a corresponding drop in accidents caused by crowding in trains. Also, escalators installed at stations have egged passengers on to avoiding crossing tracks," said another railway official.
3,304
No. of deaths in Mumbai’s rail network last year