Reduce crowd in local trains: Bombay HC

The Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the railways to take measures to reduce crowds and ensure safe journey for passengers of suburban local trains.

The division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade asked the railways to take all possible steps for safety of train passengers while hearing PIL filed by social activist Samir Zaveri seeking medical facilities for train accident victims on all railway stations, including availability of ambulance to carry the victim to the nearby hospital.

In the meantime, the railways also informed the court that emergency medical rooms have been provided at some major railway stations in Mumbai and process to provide similar facilities at various railway stations till Dahanu is on. The court was also informed that for providing more and smooth trains services the railways is in the process of increasing the railway tracks at some places.

The bench in the past had directed the railway administration to provide all the facilities of passengers safety and victims, which are available at railway stations in Mumbai, till Dahanu as the local trains now ply upto there. The bench had also asked the railways to ensure that safety measures such as the availability of emergency first aid kits and ambulances should also be made available on all suburban railway station up till Dahanu because now the local trains carry passengers upto Dahanu, the last local station in adjoining Palghar district located 120km away.

During the hearing, the bench had observed maximum accidents happen while crossing railway tracks illegally. On this the Western Railway informed the court that the railway has put fences between the tracks on several stations so that people do not cross the tracks and boundary walls have also been constructed alongside the railway tracks to keep people away. However, the bench directed it to put barricades on all railway stations.