Desperate to bring down the number of people who meet their deaths on train tracks every day, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation has launched a Rs 110-crore campaign
Having squarely failed to prevent people from trespassing on train tracks and desperate to bring down the number of trespassers who are run over by trains every day, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has launched a massive campaign to install escalators in railway stations.
Stations like Borivli and Dadar already have escalators. File pic
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So far, 12 railway stations have been identified on the Central and Western Railway networks and they will have 34 escalators installed on their premises soon. MRVC authorities say that on an average, 10 passengers are killed on railway tracks every day, most of whom are run over while crossing the tracks unlawfully. According to the railway police, a total of 3,506 persons were killed in railway accidents in Mumbai last year.
Stations like Kandivli, Borivli, Bhayander, Vasai Road, Nala Sopara and Jogeshwari on the Western line will have escalators installed, and so will Kurla, Kanjurmarg, Thane, Thakurli, Dadar and Dombivli on the Central line. “We have chosen railway stations where a maximum number of such accidents are reported, as well as those where trespassing on train tracks is rampant,” said an MRVC official.
A total of about R110 crore has been set aside for this campaign, which also includes plans for foot over-bridges. Rakesh Saxena, chairman and managing director of MRVC said, “We have started a campaign to install escalators in an attempt to control trespassing on railway tracks.” Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO, Western Railway, said, “The campaign has already been started. Apart from the railways, MRVC is also installing escalators in different stations.”