20 February,2009 07:07 AM IST | | Agencies
Government Railway Police (GRP)u00a0has proposed the Railways for a demarcated walkway on every platform of railway stations.
Ifu00a0the proposal is accepted, boarding trains will soon be easier for commuters, as people waiting on platforms will not come in the way of those actually moving into trains, the GRP said to Mumbai Mirror.
The proposal came up after many commuters complained about restricted movement on crowded platforms. Bharat Rane, Senior Inspector with GRP, Mumbai Central says, "Most of these complainants were women commuters. The ladies' compartments have specific positions on each train and demarcated places when they stop on platforms. During rush hour, women have a tough time reaching them."
Vashi resident Kavita Shinde regularly faces this problem. "Commuters crowd the platform, irrespective of which train they are going to catch. It is difficult pushing these people aside and making our way to the ladies' compartment," Shinde says.
The problem is severe at stations like Dadar, Borivli and Thane, where there are common platforms for local and long distance trains. Says Mihir Juganani, an Ulhasnagar resident, "People waiting for long distance trains block the way for suburban commuters and huge crowds in such a narrow space is like a disaster waiting to happen."
To find a solution, a team of senior GRP officers chalked out the walkway plan. Dadar on WR was chosen as a pilot project and a plan submitted to GRP commissioner A K Sharma. Sharma says, "As per the design, every platform would have a 1.5 foot walkway from start to end. It will be located on one side of the platform, leaving space for waiting commuters. It will have yellow lines with stripes."
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However, there is a possibility of people not following the walkway lines as there will be no one monitoring the facility. But as Rane puts it, "We find people disobeying zebra crossings too. The walkways will prove useful." The proposal has been forwarded to the office of Divisional Railway Manager of WR.
Existing Signs
u2022 Yellow lines near the platform edges indicate the safe distance to be maintained while walking on platforms
u2022 CR has alarms on every platform to signal compartments for visually challenged persons; WR has specially designed tiles
