Thane, Maharashtra: Eight passengers travelling towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) fell from an overcrowded local train near Mumbra station on Monday morning, officials from Central Railway confirmed.
The incident took place on the Down Fast Line between Mumbra and Diva stations in Thane district. According to initial reports, the mishap occurred when passengers travelling on footboards of two trains moving in opposite directions—one from Kasara and another bound for CSMT—got entangled and fell due to the excessive crowding.
“This is not a collision between trains,” said Swapnil Dhanraj Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Central Railway. “Passengers hanging on the footboards came too close as the trains passed on a curve, where the gap between the coaches can reduce to 1.5–2 metres due to tilt. That could have led to the fall.”
Emergency teams from the railways and local police responded quickly, and the injured were rushed to the nearest hospital. The exact number and condition of those injured are yet to be confirmed.
The incident also caused disruptions in local train services on the route.
In response, the Railway Board has announced immediate safety upgrades. All new rakes under production for the Mumbai Suburban Railway will now come equipped with automatic door-closing systems. Additionally, existing rakes will be redesigned to include similar door closure mechanisms to prevent such incidents in the future.
An official investigation into the accident is currently underway.
