As many as 420 women were killed in railway accidents in Mumbai last year. According to statistics provided by the Mumbai railway police, Thane topped the list with 93 deaths, followed by Kalyan (55), Borivli (35), Vasai (34) and Kurla (31).
According to the railway police, most of the women were killed after falling from moving trains. A total of 3,506 people were killed in railway accidents in Mumbai last year. This means that out of the total number of deaths, nearly 12% women were killed in railway accidents.
Railway activist and secretary of Mumbai-based Yatri Sangh Subhash Gupta said, “All ladies compartments should either be aligned to the motorman’s cabin or the guard’s cabin, so that women passengers can board them easily.”
He added that the railway authorities should increase the number of compartments for women or run more ladies special on both the Central and Western railways during morning and evening peak hours for the benefit of working women.
He also pointed out that limited ladies compartments in the suburban railway network is the prime reason for the rising number of deaths of women passengers.
