Woman falls off train and dies between Thane and Diva, 2nd death in two days

  • | Wednesday | 28th June, 2017

Railway officials said local trains were running packed beyond capacity on Tuesday , the first working day after a long festive weekend. The stretch has seen an average of one mishap a day since the start of this year, with several proving fatal. Surely a railway minister belonging to Mumbai can take this up as priority? True, crowds on the suburban network are massive, but so is the authorities' unwillingness to expand the existing networks and bring in new lines. The railways must shed their indifference and do their utmost to reduce these tragic casualties.

THANE: An unidentified woman of about 50 was killed after reportedly falling off an overcrowded train between Thane and Diva during 'crush hours' at 11am on Tuesday.The death follows the recovery of a 22-year-old's corpse along the tracks between Mumbra and Diva on Monday, and reinforces fears that the railway corridor between Thane and Diva--covering areas witnessing a realty boom--is fast becoming a death trap for passengers. The stretch has seen an average of one mishap a day since the start of this year, with several proving fatal. Railway police officers who attended to Tuesday's victim felt she was likely to have fallen off a crowded train as she was found lying between the two fast tracks with severe injuries to her head.The police have registered an accidental death case. Railway officials said local trains were running packed beyond capacity on Tuesday , the first working day after a long festive weekend. Adding to the problem, the services were running late by nearly 30 minutes because of the rain.Police officials here said a majority of the 272 mishaps reported in the Thane-Diva-Kalamboli stretch this year can be blamed on overcrowding.The number of commuters has grown over the years, but the number of services has remained the same as infrastructure hasn't kept pace. An estimate by railway officials puts the traffic rise to nearly 100% at stations like Diva that have seen a sudden influx in settlements from Konkan and the north due to affordable housing in that stretch.Commuters complained that instead of starting trains from Diva, the authorities allowed fast trains to halt there. But these trains are already packed by the time they arrive, forcing people to travel on the footboard.Railway officials say services have reached a saturation point and no new ones can be started till the fifth and sixth lines between Thane and Diva are operational.Sources said this could happen by March 2019.For far too long have such deaths on tracks been reduced to the level of statistics. The railways must shed their indifference and do their utmost to reduce these tragic casualties. True, crowds on the suburban network are massive, but so is the authorities' unwillingness to expand the existing networks and bring in new lines. Surely a railway minister belonging to Mumbai can take this up as priority?

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