Big relief for Railways passengers coming; rising death count brings change

Considering that the support pole at the entrance of local trains gets drenched and slippery, the Western Railways (WR) has decided to cover the pole with chequered holders for better grip. As if travelling in a crowded Mumbai local is not troublesome enough, the risk of slipping in the open trains is higher during monsoons.

Falling from a moving train is one of the major causes of injuries and deaths of rail passengers, who fail to hold onto the centre rod. Figures tell that 654 people died after falling from moving train on both Western Railways and Central Railways together in the year 2017.

While 1,434 people were injured due to the same, last year, 3,014 people died on rail premises ie around 8 people every day.

“We are replacing the regular centre rod with chequered ones that has better grip. We will be putting them on all rakes,” said a Western Railways official. These rods are presently seen in the newer lot of the Bombardier trains.

Moreover, seats inside the second class compartments, too, will get sturdier. The Western Railways will be replacing the polycarbonate seats with steel at a cost of Rs 42 crore. Earlier, steel frames were installed, but now the seats will be changed to steel in the second class compartments as the polycarbonate seats get damaged easily.

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Each new seat costs Rs 4,000 while the polycarbonate ones cost around Rs 6,000 each. The authorities are also looking at the seats inside first class compartments. Sources said the sheet covering the rexin seats will also be checked and ensured that it would not easily tear.

By Shashank Rao, DNA India