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Journalism of Courage
Carried by many in the cramped Mumbai locals — the city’s famous lifeline — an overstuffed backpack has officially been listed as the reason for the deaths of five passengers on June 9 near two railway stations.
Five commuters had died and three others sustained injuries after a fall from an overcrowded local train while it was navigating a sharp curve between Diva and Mumbra stations on June 9. At the time of the incident, passengers on the footboard of this train had bumped into those on a train moving in the opposite direction, leading to the fall.
Last week, Mumbai’s Central Railway said an official inquiry into the accident had concluded that the June 9 fall was due to a “chain reaction” after one commuter’s “protruding, 30-cm-thick bag” hit those on the footboard of the other train. At the time of the incident, officials had attributed the fall of passengers from the train to “a sudden jerk”.
The backbone of transport for Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and beyond, local trains ferry nearly 70 lakh commuters daily. Notorious for being overcrowded, over the past two decades, around eight person die daily during suburban train travel.
While each 12-coach train is built to accommodate around 1,200 passengers, during peak hours, the load often crosses 4,000. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the standardisation body for the railway sector, prescribes a limit of eight passengers per square metre, but Mumbai’s local trains often have 14-16 commuters crammed into the same space.
Adding to this already scarce space inside the trains are large backpacks carried by commuters.
Despite local trains having overhead luggage racks, the space is hardly sufficient for commuters. In case one manages to keep their bag on the overhead rack, getting it out without dislodging other items or without help becomes a huge challenge.
“Five people carrying bags can take the space meant for 10 people, which is a lot, considering people lose lives trying to secure a place to stand. Carrying bags for laptops, documents, tiffins and water bottles is a basic necessity. Some commuters carry two bags — one for office laptops, the other for food — hanging one in the front and the other at the back,” Madhu Kotian, the president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sanghs said.
He adds, “The Railways too should keep an eye out on how much baggage is allowed (onboard) given the space crunch. You cannot wake up after people die.”
A Western Railway official clarified that there are specific guidelines for the size (55 x 45 x 22.5 cms) and weight of luggage allowed in the general compartments of Mumbai’s local trains.
Stating that those not adhering to these rules are fined, he says, “In the current year, `51.80 lakh have been collected in fines in 29,519 cases. Last year, `1.07 crore were collected in fines in 60,956 cases. We hope these work as a deterrent to luggage occupying too much space.”
Vijay Iyer, who travels from Malad to Churchgate daily, says many commuters carry their work laptops and are left with no option but to carry backpacks.
“One can be more careful and hold their bags in front so that they don’t hit anyone. Other commuters shout at you if your bag hits them,” he says. If commuters with backpacks do not exercise care while getting in or out and ends up hitting others, fights have been known to break out.
To prevent this, many commuters routinely wear their backpacks in reverse. In fact, seconds before a local train comes to a complete halt, the average Mumbaikar rolls up their sleeves and puts their backpacks in the front, like a breastplate, before jumping inside the train. This practice has been documented — even ridiculed — in several Instagram reels, a dead giveaway regarding their place of domicile, at a foreign railway station.
“Looking at these commuters getting ready to board the train, to an outsider, it would appear as if they are getting ready for war,” Kotian quips.
Unlike the commuters in West Bengal’s local trains, where S-shaped hooks are used to hang bags outside windows to save space, Mumbaikars have found another way to tackle their issues.
A Mumbai local commuter said it is common to see passengers use aluminum S-shaped hooks to hang their bags from the horizontal aluminium bars near the train’s footboard. “This makes bags more accessible and leaves more space for others. It is also easier to remove one’s bag, rather than ask someone else for help to take it off the overhead rack,” says Abbas Shaikh.
