Deaths due to trespassing curbed by 44%: Central Railway officials

Eight locations across a 5-km stretch between Thane and Kalwa witnessed 27 deaths from March to August, against 88 deaths between January and November in 2018.

Officials said this was because of illegal settlements close to the tracks, wherein even boundary walls constructed by railway are left open as people have no other alternative. (Representational Image)

After the Central Railway implemented measures based on a neuroscience and behavioural study to curb deaths caused by trespassing, it recorded a 44 per cent reduction in such deaths, said officials.

Eight locations across a 5-km stretch between Thane and Kalwa witnessed 27 deaths from March to August, against 88 deaths between January and November in 2018. Officials said this was because of illegal settlements close to the tracks, wherein even boundary walls constructed by railway are left open as people have no other alternative. In many cases, people tried to cross from east to west. As per the behavioural study, nearly 90 per cent of these trespassing incidents occurred at mid-sections.

The measures implemented had a three-pronged approach, including colouring sleeper coaches yellow at frequent intervals, using a whistle board to allow the motorman to give signal twice instead of once, and putting up large posters of a person about to be hit by a train at the sites. These measures were implemented based on suggestions of Final Mile, a Mumbai-based consulting agency.

It was observed that commuters injured fatally during trespassing never crossed in clusters and were frequent trespassers who crossed tracks about 4-5 times a day. Many deaths involved people living illegally along the tracks or those trying to take a shorter route on a regular basis.

“They were mostly frequency trespassers who were well aware of the problem but they were forced out of necessity wherein there is a need for a creative solution,” said Biju Dominic of Final Mile. About 85 per cent of deaths occur during broad daylight and most of them involve men between the age group of 15 and 40 years.

Sleeper coaches are being painted to help commuters gauge the speed of trains, which the human brain is otherwise unable to comprehend. The whistle is placed about 100 meters before the spot, which the train takes about six seconds to cover.

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