Mumbai: Prabhadevi choke point raises fresh stampede fears after bridge closure

Prabhadevi station is once again slipping into stampedelike conditions after the shutdown of the Elphinstone Road bridge With its staircases closed for demolition thousands of commuters are now funnelling onto a single narrow foot overbridge to move between the east and west causing severe crowding during rush hoursImmediate triggerThe chaos began after both staircases leading to the Elphinstone Road bridge were closed These staircases used mainly by commuters headed to Parel in the east or Prabhadevi in the west have forced people to walk northward to access the two remaining bridges Sources said this surge should be diverted to the newly constructed southend bridge to prevent the northend bridges which also serve Parel station from becoming dangerously congested Prabhadevi currently has three eastwest bridges two at the north end and one at the south endConnectivity gap widensEven as Western Railway WR and Central Railway CR upgrade facilities commuters say the closure of the Elphinstone bridge without a full alternative has left a large connectivity gap Many called the move unfair and said the pressure on a single usable crossing has made weekday crowds unmanageableCommuters queue tightly on Prabhadevi stationrsquos narrow middle bridge after the Elphinstone bridge access was shut for demolitionWR has now concentrated booking operations at the Dadar end of the station where most passengers buy tickets Officials said they are watching the crowding closely and may open extra ticket windows at the north end booking area if requiredWhat Railways is doing1 The Churchgate train shifted 50 metres behind usual halt so last coach aligns with the wider Dadarend bridge2 Large signage installed across platforms and entry points to guide commuters3 RPF and GRP personnel deployed to divert crowd from the first six coaches toward the two northend bridges while commuters from the remaining six coaches are being guided toward the southend bridge4 Railways and the BMC studying whether an additional staircase can be built at the narrow westside landing of the Churchgateend bridgeCommuter voicesYogesh Kokate said ldquoExtreme crowd on the middle bridge during peak hours With the Elphinstone bridge gone this exit is getting overcrowded A mishap may occur any dayrdquoAnother commuter Apeksha said ldquoAbsolute chaos at Prabhadevi around 10 am Waited 10 to 15 minutes for the crowd to thin out It didnrsquot Have we learnt nothing from past incidentsrdquoShashank Manohar added ldquoIs the railway ministry waiting for another disaster at Prabhadevi Why is there no Plan B when a key bridge is closedrdquoThe Elphinstone Road stampedeThe 2017 Elphinstone Road stampede occurred after heavy rain and overcrowding triggered panic on a narrow footbridge Over 40 people died and many were injured The incident exposed infrastructure gaps and led to demands for safer rail facilities The central government later brought in the Indian Army to build new foot overbridges in record time