In case of emergency, BREAK chain?

                “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PULL CHAIN” these words are familiar to regular commuters in the locals in Mumbai. It is expected that the train will halt at the nearest station and the matter investigated –which also could well be a matter of life and death. But this is not what happened when a person in his teens fell off from the train between Andheri and Jogeshwari. When the commuters tried to pull the chains – in fact three different chains as the train did not show signs of slowing down- one snapped as it was rusty.

                The incident occurred around 8.30pm on Thursday 28^th August, after the Andheri-Vasai local had just departed from Andheri. A teenager standing on the footboard of the train fell off the train just before Jogeshwari. Commuters started pulling the chain to try and stop the train to save his life. When the chains were pulled, the train did not show any signs of slowing down, instead it gained speed. One of the chains snapped as it was rusted. The commuters then called the helpline number and informed them about the incident. The motorman gave the emergency chain pulling signal at Borivali, which was a good 15 minutes after the incident. This could have caused the death of the individual. At Borivali station, we don’t know his fate!

                This is not an isolated incident where the ineffectiveness of the chains has been pointed out. In the recent past many incidents could have been avoided only if the chains were functioning properly. Last month, in another incident, when a 20 year old girl fell off between Khargar and Mansarovar stations of Harbour Line, commuters tried to pull the chain, but the train did not stop.

                These incidents point to a very serious issue of safety and security in local trains. There are about 600 deaths caused by falling off trains – as reported by leading newspapers- every year in Mumbai. Saving every life should matter to the authorities. Another very serious issue is the safety and security of travelers late at night especially in the women’s compartment. If there is a threat to them, their first instinct would be to pull the chains and hope for help to arrive soon. When they pull the chain and it breaks or if the motorman reacts 15 minutes later – as it happened in the incident of the youth falling off - a lot of damage will be done.

                The railways must ensure that their installed facilities are more functional before trying to hike the railway fares to provide “better facilities” to commuters.