After Mumbra accident, we have put whistle boards to alert motormen, says CR
The railway authorities outlined their action plan in an affidavit submitted to the Bombay High Court on Monday, detailing physical upgrades, enforcement strategies, and commuter management interventions to tackle the city's chronic rail safety crisis.
Among the key measures: removal of hazardous platform-end ramps, demolition of 1,267 encroachments over the past three years, and plugging 73 known trespass-prone spots. Whistle boards have been installed at track curves to alert motormen, and escalators as well as restored boundary walls now block access to tracks at Diva station—a hotspot where five to six deaths from track crossing were once routine every month. Since these upgrades in August 2023, officials claim zero such deaths at Diva.
The affidavit, filed by senior divisional commercial manager Pravindra Wanjari, highlights a broader drop in fatalities. In 2018, 1,022 deaths were recorded from track crossings; this has reduced to 293 so far in 2025. Falling-from-train deaths have also declined from 482 in 2018 to 150 till May this year.
Yet, the recent spate of fatal incidents has exposed persisting gaps, forcing the railways to revisit longstanding safety challenges. At Kalyan station, platforms 4 and 5 have been widened after removing old station buildings. Dadar and Thane platforms too have been expanded to manage crowds.
Technical interventions include replacing older trains with Siemens rakes, which provide better grip on grab poles and handles, and reducing track speeds between Sion-Kurla and Mulund-Thane stretches to counter sharp curves that increase fall risks. Authorities have also written to nearly 800 offices to adopt staggered work hours to ease peak-hour congestion.
Looking ahead, CR has committed to installing 139 more escalators and 62 lifts by December 2027, adding to the 176 escalators and 43 foot overbridges already set up across suburban stations.
Enforcement and awareness too form part of the strategy. From punitive action against trespassers to safety drives in schools, RPF deployment at black spots, and continuous public announcements, officials said multiple layers of intervention are being used to push towards a 'zero death mission'.
The moves come in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by daily commuter Yatin Jadhav, highlighting the daily hazards faced by the city's 75 lakh-plus local train passengers. A high-level monitoring committee and an additional multidisciplinary panel have been constituted to monitor progress and recommend further interventions.
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