WR wishes you a safe trip, to get 1,600 CCTVs for Mumbai railway stations, all coaches

After the tragedy, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal formed 13 teams comprising CR, WR, civic and police officials to look at the issues faced by commuters and recommend changes

Your train travel on the western railway (WR) is all set to get safer.

Within 15 months, the authorities will install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all compartments of their trains, and get 1,600 high-end CCTV cameras for entry, exit points, FOBs and platform endings of the stations. They will also identify the spot from which non-travellers enter, to curb incidents of molestation.

The move is being planned, after a safety audit of suburban railway stations in the wake of the Elphinstone Road station stampede highlighted the need for more CCTVs, FOBs and skywalks. After the tragedy, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal formed 13 teams comprising CR, WR, civic and police officials to look at the issues faced by commuters and recommend changes. The team submitted its report last week.

The CCTV footage from the cameras, which was so far available only to the railway police, can now be accessed by all railway officials, so there is immediate alert on any security threat.

With various incidents of molestation of women commuters coming to light, the railway officials will identify areas at railway stations across the city, from where non-travellers or drug addicts enter the stations. The locations will be given to the police and civic officials, who have promised to barricade these areas.

“The police and civic officials will barricade the areas soon. We will submit the locations at each station soon,” said Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR.

The WR has also proposed to build a skywalk at Elphinstone Road station, which will land at the platform and will be connected to the existing foot overbridges.