VASAI: As many as 984 people have died in railway accidents on the Western Railway suburban stretch between Mira Road and Vaitarna from 2022 to October 2026, a span of less than five years, according to a report in Loksatta. Growing crowds on local trains and people crossing the tracks are making the daily commute increasingly risky, the report said.
The number of commuters travelling towards Mumbai from Virar, Nalasopara, Vasai and Naigaon stations has risen sharply over the past few years. With trains packed, many passengers are forced to travel hanging at the doors, where losing balance can lead to a fatal fall.
On September 23, a 35-year-old man died after falling from a crowded local between Nalasopara and Vasai Road.
279 bodies yet to be identified
279 of the bodies found in the Vasai, Nalasopara and Bhayander areas are yet to be identified. Many bodies are badly damaged in railway accidents, which makes identification difficult for the police.
To trace families, police photograph the bodies, put up notices at stations and public places, and make inquiries among citizens. Rules require bodies to be kept for seven days, but some are preserved in morgues for 15 to 20 days to give relatives time to come forward. If a body is still unidentified after that, DNA samples are preserved and the last rites are performed as per procedure.
However, the frequent breakdown of cold storage units at morgues in the Vasai-Virar area has made it difficult for police to preserve the bodies, the report said.
Patrolling and awareness drives
Raju Mahanor, senior police inspector of Vasai railway police station, said continuous efforts were being made to reduce crime and accidents on the railways.
In the limits of Bhayander railway police station, 23 people have died in the last two to two-and-a-half months, said senior police inspector Ganesh Tumbda, adding that a ‘zero accident’ campaign is being run to spread awareness.
The railway police have stepped up patrolling to stop people from crossing the tracks, are identifying accident-prone spots, have written to the authorities seeking protective fencing, and are running awareness drives in local areas.
Investigations have also found that 159 of the 984 deaths recorded between 2022 and October 2026 were suicides. Family disputes, mental stress and financial trouble were among the reasons that emerged during the probe, according to the report.
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(With inputs from Loksatta)