Halt if you want to avoid this

Passengers, motormen demand that trains stop a bit longer at stations to avoid mad rush, which leads to accidents

Wrap up your newspaper in a hustle, clasp your bag firm, clutch your belongings tight, hold on to dear life and jump! If you're lucky you will have made the short flight or shove from train to platform, alive, and upright.

If that is how your daily commute to work and back sounds like, join the group of passengers demanding that trains stop 15 more seconds at stations, just to avoid the daily risk getting aboard and off.


This shocking picture published in MiD DAY in 2008 shows how a man hung on for dear life to a platform at Kandivli as a train passed above him, after he fell between the gap while trying to alight in a rush. He miraculously survived, but not everyone is as lucky

The halt time at railway stations, 10 to 15 seconds, has remained that for the last 30 years, even though, two lakh are added to the existing bustle of 70 lakh railway commuters in the city every year.

And now, associations of passengers, guards and motormen are getting impatient with their demand to expand the time to at least 30 seconds.

Passengers' demand

Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, "I have written a letter to the railway authorities to fulfil our demands.

Initially, when there were fewer passengers, trains used to stop for 15 seconds. Now, with more numbers, they halt for the same time.

The authorities should increase it to 25-30 seconds."

He added that the situation worsens on Sundays and holidays. "Many new passengers have no idea how long the trains halt.
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Sometimes, females and kids are left behind on the platform and trains start moving. Such problems are very serious," added Kotian.

Motormen agree

Guards and motormen back the passengers' claims. A motorman said, "The crowd is increasing by the day. In the few seconds, some try to jump on to or out of running trains. We see so many accidents every day.

The railway authorities should increase the timing."

The motormen's duty is to drive the local to the destination on time and the guards' duty is to ring the bell after ensuring all passengers are safely aboard.

Torn between punctuality and safety, they end up facing passengers' ire in the event of any causality, delay, or missed trains, they say. "We have to be mindful of the time we take to halt.

We are under pressure from the authorities to reach the station on time. Sometimes, it really becomes a problem for us to ensure safety.
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I have seen many times that kids are left behind at the platform after mothers get aboard. Later, they pull the chain," said a guard in the service for eight years.

Flip side

Officials and stakeholders point out that though the demand stands to reason, there are constraints as longer halt time will slow down the trains, thereby restricting the number of services that can run in a day (see box).

On an average, every year, 40 to 45 new services are added to both the Central and Western Railways to meet the pressing demands. This may have to be reversed if passengers are to be given more time to get on, officials say.

In 2008, National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU) had written a letter to the railways asking them to increase the halt time at stations.

Venu P Nair, general secretary, NRMU, said, "We have been discussing the issue with railway authorities since long.

The demands are reasonable and should be considered by railway authorities. But as senior officials discussed with us, if the train halts longer, the number of train services will have to be reduced."

Nair's point was supported by the president of Yatri Sangh Mumbai, Subhash Gupta. He said, "On the one hand, we are demanding to increase the trains and services.

On the other, we are demanding for more halt time. Both cannot be done at once. Passengers have to compromise either on the number of services or on the time they want to get into a train."

A motorman said, "During peak hours, we have to run on a tight schedule. We have to keep in mind express trains that run on the fast track.

Even though we know a particular station would be crowded, we cannot wait for long." He added that charge sheets are filed against them if they halt the train for more time than 15 seconds.

Accidents

The chink of time passengers get to detrain has led to an increase in the number of accidents. Physically challenged people suffer the most.
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Pradip Anjaria, president, Disability Advocacy Group, said, "By the time we can get a foot in the compartment, the train starts moving.

There are passengers who are severely disabled. Authorities should seriously consider hiking the halt time to at least 30 seconds.


Officials say on an average, every year, 40 to 45 new services are added to both the Central and Western Railways to meet the pressing demands. This may have to be reversed if passengers are to be given more time to get on

Accidents are also caused because passengers fall in the gap between platforms and the trains, running or stationary. Compared to 2008 and 2009, the number of accidents increased substantially in the past year (see box).

At present, trains halt for around 20 seconds at major stations, and for 15 at smaller ones. On stations, like those in Navi Mumbai, where there are platforms on both sides, there are fewer problems.

Voices

Longer halts will increase congestion. Mumbai can only grow longitudinally. The situation can be improved with double-decker trains. Why don't the railways think about this?u00a0
P Wilson, Commuter between Nallasopara and Bandra

The halt time at stations should be increased as the number of people travelling by trains is increasing every day. If the railways do not take this seriously, I am sure there would be more accidents.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Ameya Sawant, Commutes between Dombivli and CST

Officials speak
Sharat Chandrayan, Chief PRO, WR, said, "There are no rules for halt time. Guards have been instructed to ensure that all passengers get aboard safely and then ring the bell to signify that the train can leave. We hardly get any complaints regarding this. But we will see if there are special requirements."

Vineet Kumar, deputy general manager, CR, said, "The guards are doing their duty of ensuring passenger safety and then move.u00a0 If we increase the halt time, the duration of travel time between stations will increase. We have to balance all these things. That said, we may consider requests for particularly overburdened stations."u00a0

Expected delays
Central Railway
37.4 lakh commuters daily 26 stations from CST to Kalyan.

Western Railway
33 lakh commuters daily
34 stations from Churchgate to Borivli.

While fast trains would not be affected much, slow trains would experience a delay in the services by at least six minutes.

Mishaps