Mumbai Local Trains : Bombay High Court Expresses Concern Over Commuters Deaths ; Terms Situation Alarming

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The Bombay high court has expressed concern over deaths of commuters on Mumbai local trains, describing the situation as ‘alarming’, an observation coming days after five people lost their lives post-falling off a packed suburban service.

The court suggested installing automatic door-closing mechanisms in Mumbai local trains to prevent commuters from falling off, but insisted this was an advice purely from a ‘layman’ perspective and Railway expert views were needed on the issue.

PTI reported that a division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne urged authorities to take measures to ensure tragic incidents don’t occur on the Mumbai suburban network in the future.

“This is an alarming situation. Though you have projected that there was a reduction (in casualties) of 49 per cent (compared to previous years),” the court added.

The division bench made the observations while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) related to deaths of commuters in accidents on Mumbai’s suburban network, considered the city’s lifeline.

Taking note of the June 9 incident where five passengers died and eight others sustained injuries after falling off a crowded local train near Mumbra station in adjoining Thane district, the court observed measures taken by authorities to stop such untoward incidents were not sufficient.

The court suggested they (trains) should be equipped with automatic doors (currently they have open doors). The bench, however, was quick to add that it was a ‘layman’ suggestion and they were not an expert on Railway safety.

The Railways informed the bench that they have set up a multi-disciplinary committee to examine the cause of the Mumbra incident and waiting for its report.