A Right to Information plea has found that 18,423 people died and 18,847 people were injured in suburban train-related mishaps between January 2013 to August 2018.
Replying to the RTI query filed by activist Shakeel Ahmad, the Mumbai railway police commissionerate said that these casualties occurred due to passengers falling from trains, dashing against poles, crossing railway tracks or travelling on the roof of trains.
Providing a break-up, the RTI reply stated that 3,506 people died in 2013, 3,423 in 2014, 3,304 in 2015, 3,202 in 2016, 3,014 2017 and 1,974 in the first 8 months of the current year.
Speaking on the declining figures, Ravinder Bhakar, chief PRO of Western Railway said, "We have taken several measures to curb deaths by constructing FOBs, fencing, conducting aerial survey of accident prone areas and counselling passengers."
A railway police official said that these figures include those who committed suicide by jumping in front of trains.
RTI activist Ahmad said that the railways had to do still more to stop track deaths.
"Railways have failed to comply with the orders of the Bombay High Court in this regard. These numbers will come down if railway officials are forced to travel by trains," he contended.
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