Every day, around 12 people die on Mumbai’s suburban railway network. Half of these deaths occur after people slip through the gap between the platform and trains.
‘Mind the Gap’, says the London Tube, ‘Watch It’, says the New York Rail and ‘Care the Gap’, requests the Chinese Metro. But in the Mumbai suburban railway, which is used by seven million passengers, the huge breach between the platform and the train is just another ignored hazard.
The gap is turning into a grave for many. There are no warnings, no automated messages and nothing has been done to create awareness among commuters.
Government railway statistics state that this year, six people lost their lives and more than 55 commuters were injured after falling between the gap of the platform and the train. The railways say they have started work to bridge the gap, but the pace is so slow that it has now become a life-threatening problem. It is mostly a problem for senior citizens, who face difficulties while boarding a train at such an ‘elevated level’.
A suburban train stops at the station for 30-45 seconds. Because of the crowds and the short time span to board a train, the gap has become hazardous for commuters. It has been more than 20 years since the railways raised the level of the rails by replacing the wooden sleepers with concrete ones.
Since then, the problem has become even more acute.
“The gap is scary. If you slip on those slippery tiles laid by the railways, you fall directly into the gap. It is a human rights violation by the railways,” said Anushka Gupte, a third-year college student.
“They should place a small staircase so that it is comfortable for us to board the train at certain stations. I have a knee problem and find it difficult to get on a train in such a short span of time,” said Arjun Goraksha, 58. He has complaints about the platform height at Kalwa and Thakurli stations.
The railways say the maximum gap is just four inches and not more than that. However, commuters don’t agree.
“Four inches? The government’s official figure states that 55 people have been injured and six of them have died after falling in the gap. Have they all fallen through a four-inch gap?” asks SG Gupta from Kurla.
Western Railway officials said there are 139 platforms between Churchgate and Virar, out of which 40 need to be elevated. The work of raising 40 platforms at 19 stations has been sanctioned at an approximate cost of Rs8.5 crore for this financial year.
Central Railway officials said they were raising the height of the platforms at seven to eight stations this financial year.
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