E-Paper
Sign In
Overcrowding, notorious curve: Dangers facing commuters on Mumbai trains
Statistics say six people on average die daily while travelling in the suburban trains of India’s financial and commercial capital, or getting knocked off near railway stations
- PUBLISHED: Tue 21 Jul 2026, 2:48 PM
Mumbai’s 450-km suburban railway network, in which over eight million commuters travel daily, is considered a safe mode of transport, but there are some terrible points which endanger the lives of commuters clinging desperately on the footboard of trains. One such deadly spot is the 1.3-km-long Parsik tunnel (below Parsik hill) which became operational 90 years ago, and the notorious curve between Diva and Mumbra stations running parallel, but outside the tunnel.
The 1.3-km-long tunnel is surrounded on both sides by slums that have mushroomed over the decades. Many of the residents cross the tracks all day long and some unwary people get knocked off by speeding trains entering or exiting the tracks. Normally the trains take just two minutes to traverse the tunnel, but because of the large number of slums and the poor lighting, they have to travel cautiously.
Recommended For You
Besides the encroachers crossing tracks, there are two other problems: overcrowded trains and the tilting of coaches on sharply curved stretches in the line running parallel to and outside the tunnel. When the trains tilt as they pass by, many passengers clinging to the footboard lose their balance, and some fall off and get seriously injured or even killed.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
A video of a woman clinging perilously out of an overcrowded compartment as it traverses between Diva and Mumbra has just gone viral. The sari-clad woman desperately holds on to the compartment as the train zooms by with her sari brushing against the pillars. She was in the women’s compartment of the train.
Hundreds of passengers, holding on to the overcrowded compartments undergo this trauma every day, as the trains speed past on the sharp curve. Lata Arghade, a commuter activist, told the media that thousands of women board the packed trains from distant suburbs including Kalyan, Dombivli, Diva and other places. “Many are forced to stand on the footboard because there is simply no space inside,” she said. “During peak hours, it becomes a choice between risking your life or your job.”
Another commuter activist pointed out that for women travellers from Thane and beyond, “the difference between reaching home safely and becoming another statistic is often just a few inches of footboard space.”
According to railway records cited in the media, about 180 commuters have fallen from trains on the Thane-Diva section so far this year. And a third of them have died after the fall. One of the most shocking incidents happened in June 2025, when two trains crossed the Mumbra curve, speeding in opposite directions in close proximity. Some passengers clinging on the footboards of both trains hit one another, and fell of to the tracks. Six died in the tragedy and several others were injured.
Official statistics reveal that on average six people die every day while travelling in the suburban trains of India’s financial and commercial capital, or getting knocked off near railway stations. Nearly 2,300 commuters were killed in 2025 and 2,500 sustained injuries. Over a thousand deaths were of people crossing tracks, unaware of approaching trains, especially on fast tracks. Over 500 deaths were of commuters falling from trains. Other causes included people committing suicide, electrocution, falling off platforms and being run over by trains.
