Every day, lakhs of commuters in and around Mumbai cram into suburban local trains to go to their offices or colleges, traveling in inhumane conditions. Over the last two decades, more than 51,000 commuters have died by falling out of trains or while crossing tracks, with a large number of deaths occurring in suburbs such as Kalwa, Mumbra, Dombivli, and Kalyan.
“Enough is enough!” Citizens in these suburbs have launched a spirited campaign to demand safe railway travel for all. Their demands include the construction of a platform at Kalwa for carshed trains so that commuters can board safely, increased number of coaches per train, increased number of trains, and immediate recruitment of railway workers. Notably, while the mainstream narrative places blame on workers for poor services, this campaign has highlighted how passengers’ problems arise from systemic issues such as lack of investment in safety over decades and no recruitment.