Despite spending Rs 7.8 crore on Wadala’s new FOB, lack of wall barricading and open trackside gates have made it ineffective, as commuters still use unsafe shortcuts across the railway tracks
After entering through the gap in the wall, the woman illegally crosses the tracks. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar
Despite spending Rs 7.8 crore on a new foot overbridge (FOB) at Wadala, the structure remains largely unused. Why? Because railway authorities forgot a crucial step — barricading the walls and closing the trackside gates - allowing people to continue taking the dangerous shortcut across the railway tracks. In fact, by leaving gaps in the wall open, the railways have unintentionally created a new shortcut for trespassers.
The unlocked trackside gates left wide open for easy access to commuters. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar
This bridge is a glaring example of how the much-hyped trespass control programme continues to fail, with public funds spent on infrastructure that sees little to no use. Between January and December 2024, Mumbai’s suburban railway network recorded 2468 deaths and 2697 injuries, many of them due to trespassing or crossing railway tracks.
1 A woman waits for a train to pass to access the railway tracks at Wadala
The mid-section FOB between Wadala Road and King’s Circle stations was built under the Trespass Control Project. It spans 77.59 metres in length and 4 metres in width, with two staircases. Construction began in January 2024 and was completed in a record 216 days by August. According to railway officials, the bridge was intended to serve the Raoli area and nearby neighbourhoods, reducing the high incidence of track-crossing in that zone.
However, a recent mid-day visit revealed that the bridge is essentially pointless — gaps in the concrete wall remain open, and the gates of the adjacent plot used for construction have been left unlocked, allowing easy access to the tracks.
2 The woman begins to cross the tracks despite the newly built foot overbridge
“The access from the road is open and completely unguarded. Anyone can just walk in. The gap in the wall — initially made for construction materials — has been left wide open, so people continue to trespass freely,” said a local activist.
Gaping access gates next to the unused Wadala foot overbridge
“In fact, the railways have created a new trespassing spot where there was none before. The open gates and wall gaps right next to the bridge are an open invitation to cross the tracks. Also, the bridge appears neglected and dirty, so commuters avoid it,” alleged local resident Harikrishna Mehta.
“New bridges are constantly announced, but no one follows up on what happens after construction. This is a textbook case of the trespass control project failing completely,” he added.
A woman walks through an opening in the wall and gates to illegally cross the railway tracks. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar
A railway spokesperson said that there is no way to prove that railways have created the gap. “The gap has a gate at both the sides. It could be the handiwork of locals too. We will fix the gap soon,” he assured.
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