In a major achievement for the Western Railway (WR), its decision to shut the level crossing gate at Jogeshwari station has brought down the number of fatalities at the accident-prone spot to zero over the past 50 days.
With 28 fatalities recorded between March 15, 2018, and March 14, 2019, the spot gained notoriety for being one of the most chronic accident spots on the Mumbai suburban network. An average of 30 people died while crossing tracks at the spot every year. The WR officials had tried to shut the gate thrice over the past year, but locals opposed the move claiming that the level crossing was their only point of connectivity between east and west Jogeshwari. However, the WR went ahead and shut the gate on March 15.
Third time lucky
Railway officials said they were successful this time partly because of the model code of conduct coming into force after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. A senior WR official said, “There was little political interference this time. Now that the gate has been shut for over 50 days, we can see the results.”
Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR, said, “Despite stiff opposition from locals, we closed the gate in March. The result of our decision is there for all to see. The spot used to account for the highest deaths on the Western Railway. Now, it has dropped to zero.”
Commuters said the design of Jogeshwari station contributed to the problem. They mostly use a narrow foot overbridge (FOB) on the southern end of the station to access platforms and travel between the east and west ends. They said a narrow staircase connects the platforms to the FOB, leading to overcrowding.
The WR authorities said that after the gate was sealed, about 40 personnel were deployed at the station to facilitate crowd management. S.R. Gandhi, senior divisional security commissioner, WR, said, “At present, we have 20 employees deputed to ensure that there is no overcrowding on the platforms. We have also ensured that there is bidirectional flow of passengers on the staircase. Our staff at both ends have created a divider using ropes to maintain order.”
The WR has also started halting trains towards the north of the platforms to allow more breathing space on the FOB landing on the southern end. The authorities have also shifted four slow trains onto the fast lane during peak hours to distribute the load. Mr. Bhakar said they are extending the middle FOB to the east, and installing an escalator connecting the deck attached to the north FOB. He said, “Both projects are expected to be completed by June-end. They will address the key grievances of the locals.”