7 people lose their lives on railway tracks in Mumbai every day

In 2024, 2,468 people died on the railway tracks in Mumbai, slightly lower than the 2,590 in 2023 and 2,507 in 2022

MUMBAI: At least seven people lose their lives on the Mumbai suburban railway tracks every day, out of which at least one dies by falling off moving trains, according to data collated by the Government Railway Police (GRP).

Thane, India. June 09, 2025: Footwear of victims seen on the railway track at Mumbra Railway Station. Four commuters lost their lives and nine others were injured. The incident occurred when the commuters fell from a train heading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on June 9, 2025. Thane, India. 09, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

In 2024, 2,468 people died on the railway tracks in Mumbai, slightly lower than the 2,590 in 2023 and 2,507 in 2022. Another 2,697 people were reported injured last year. Of the 2,468 deaths, 1,553 were reported on the Central Railway (CR) line and 935 on the Western Railway (WR) line.

Last year, 1,151 people were killed while crossing railway tracks illegally, while 570 died by falling off moving local trains. Additionally, 14 people died after falling into the gap between the edge of the platforms and the trains. Kalyan recorded the maximum deaths due to falling off trains—116—followed by 45 at Vasai. This year, at least 120 people have died by falling off trains as of April 30, according to the GRP’s data.

Explaining the reason behind the high number of deaths, GRP officers said that overcrowding in trains is a serious concern. A suburban train with 12 coaches has a capacity of around 1,200 passengers. But on average, local trains carry around 5,500 passengers during peak hours. This means that each coach carries around 450 passengers during rush hours, as against the official capacity of 100.

“The lower number of deaths on Western Railway can be due to an increase in AC trains, which have closed doors despite huge crowds in peak hours,” said a police officer from GRP.