Despite 3% decline in number of deaths, 8 people died on Mumbai’s rail network everyday in 2016

Apart from a slight decline in the number of deaths on rail tracks, there was little respite for the Mumbai’s 75 lakh plus daily commuters in 2016 as eight people still died on average in the city due to train related incidents everyday.

The data, for both Western and Central Railway, was obtained via a Right to Information application by activist Sameer Jhaveri, who had sought information on the number as well as cause of deaths and injuries on the city’s suburban network.

The complete breakup of the data is given below:

Number of deaths and injuries in 2016 and 2015:

Year/Data	Deaths	Injuries
2016	3,202	3,363
2015	3,304	3,349

While the number of deaths reduced by 3 percent in 2016, the number of injuries increased by less than 1 percent.

Despite the decline in number of deaths, at least eight people died on average in Mumbai due to rail related incidents everyday.

Breakup of deaths and injuries on Western and Central lines:

Year/Data	Deaths	Injuries
Central Railway	2,114	1,856
Western Railway	1,088	1,507

The Central line, which is almost double the length of Western line, saw nearly twice as many casualties. In comparison, CR saw only 20 percent more injuries than WR.

Leading causes of death and injuries in 2016:

Leading causes of death	Count	Leading causes of injuries	Count
Crossing tracks	1,798	Falling from train	1,498
Falling from train	657	Accidental	671
Natural death	524	Crossing tracks	379
Suicides	35	Hitting poles	85
Electric shock	34	Electric shock	36
Others	154	Others	694

Maximum commuters lost their lives due to crossing tracks, while most were injured after falling from trains.

Stations that saw maximum deaths on Western, Central and Harbour lines in 2016:

Maximum deaths on Western line	Count	Maximum deaths on Central line	Count	Maximum deaths on Harbour line	Count
Goregaon	84	Thane	129	Mankhurd	37
Virar	81	Kalyan	117	Wadala	30
Borivali	63	Kurla	81	Jui Nagar	29
Andheri	59	Diva	71	Rabale	27

Most people died at Goregaon (84) on Western line, Thane (129) on Central line and Mankhurd (37) on Harbour line. Thane saw most deaths across all lines.

Stations that saw maximum injuries on Western, Central and Harbour lines in 2016:

Maximum injuries on Western line	Count	Maximum injuries on Central line	Count	Maximum injuries on Harbour line	Count
Andheri	159	Kalyan	147	Wadala	34
Borivali	98	CST	114	Vashi	27
Dadar	93	Thane	71	Mankhurd	25
Vasai	91	Dombivli	70	Govandi	23

Most people were injured at Andheri (159) on Western line, Kalyan (147) on Central line and Wadala (34) on Harbour line. Andheri saw most injuries across all lines.

The statistics indicate that despite railway’s best efforts, which include everything from fining offenders to creating awareness, a drastic change in the number of casualties seems unlikely in the near future.

According to Jhaveri, who filed the RTI, decongesting the lines has to be the first step. It is high time that the railways increased the number of coaches and add new lines, he stated.