HC flags rise in deaths on Mumbai local, calls for preventive measures

Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the court noted that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities happened on local trains, which means on an average ten Mumbaikars die everyday

The Bombay High Court on Friday 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. 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.  Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the court noted that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities happened on local trains (due to various accidents on the suburban network), which means on an average ten Mumbaikars die everyday.

"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. The panel will give recommendations and suggestions for avoiding such untoward incidents in the future. The court directed the Railways to place on record suggestions made by the committee, along with timeline for their implementation.  The committee should be open to including the suggestions made by the petitioner (a commuter) for avoiding reoccurrence of such incidents. Besides the disciplinary panel, a high-level monitoring committee has been set up separately and it is working towards a "zero death mission". Based on its suggestions, a number of steps has already been taken, the Railways told the court. One of the steps included building walls and fences between Rail tracks to stop commuters from crossing over. Also, stalls have been shifted from some platforms on suburban stations to avoid overcrowding, it said. The matter will be next heard on July 14.