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It's safety first for Mumbai suburban trains
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SME Times News Bureau | 23 Jul, 2019
Overcrowded and often unsafe
travel in Mumbai's suburban trains will now be smoother, secure and
passenger friendly. The Modi government is making all-out efforts to
streamline operations of Mumbai's lifeline: the local trains which carry
over 80 lakh commuters every day.
As per the government's mega
plans for suburban railways, platforms would be extended to add more
coaches in trains(from existing 12 to 16 bogies) and hi-technology
signal system would be introduced to increase frequencies of the
suburban trains. For recurring 'trespassing deaths' on the tracks, 99.60
km of periphery walls have been erected along the railway lines and
local stations. Efforts are on to add more foot overbridges and
escalators at stations identified as ones where accidental deaths are
more likely to occur.
In an interview to IANS, Director General
Railway Protection Force(RPF) Arun Kumar said that the Railways have
been more concerned about accidental deaths resulting from trespassing,
hitting electric poles and slipping between gaps in platforms and
coaches.
"Fifty-two vulnerable points at different railway
stations in Mumbai were identified by us where frequent accidents have
been occurring. The major cause of accidental deaths was trespassing on
tracks. So we decided to add more FOBs(foot overbridges). In the past
few months 32 FOBs, 42 escalators and 23 lifts have been added in
Central and Western Railway stations while 36 FOBs, 72 escalators and 40
lifts are being constructed. In addition, RPF has conducted 209
passenger awareness camps highlighting 'Dos and Don'ts' to avoid
accidents," said Arun Kumar.
Considered as Mumbai's lifeline,
the overcrowded suburban trains have often been blamed for accidents. On
an average more than 3,000 Mumbaikars fall prey to accidents on tracks.
Between January and June 2019, 260 passengers died because of
trespassing, 100 died after falling off trains and one person died after
falling in the gap between platform and coach.
"In comparison to
last year's figures, there has been a decrease of 23 per cent in deaths
due to falling from train, 7 per cent decrease in trespassing and over
50 per cent in fall in gap between platform and coaches," said Arun
Kumar, adding: "Yes, every life is precious to us. And we are making all
possible efforts to prevent such a loss."
Electric poles erected
along railway tracks have also been a cause of accidents. Between
January and March 2018, 18 passengers died after they were hit by these
poles.
"The Railways finally decided to remove the electric poles
and opted for underground wiring. During the last six months only one
person has died after being hit by an electric pole. We are also trying
to introduce the queue management system to control the rush of
passengers, particularly during the peak hours," said Arun Kumar, a 1985
batch IPS officer.
The Railways are looking at the possibility
of adding more coaches to the overcrowded local trains which now have
fewer bogies as several railway platforms do not allow for longer
trains. The platforms would be extended to accommodate trains having
around 16 coaches.
The height of platforms is being raised to
prevent deaths from falling in the gap between platform and coach. For
the past couple of years, the Railways have been focusing on expediting
infrastructure projects including maintenance work in key areas.
Government public sector undertakings have come forward to fund Railways
for meeting its target.
"Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been
the source of our inspiration. His efforts have enabled Railways to meet
deadlines for completing important infrastructure projects," the DG
said.
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