Mumbai Elphinstone Road stampede: Tragedy was inevitable as Railways turned blind eye to city's network

The Central, Western and Harbour lines. The Central and Western lines come together at Dadar station, which is generally where the business zones of south Mumbai are considered to begin. It's also the station used by commuters who wish to switch lines. In 2016-17, Dadar saw 211,888 commuters every day, making it one of the most crowded stations of the network. But there is another way of switching lines. That is by travelling one station south-wards, till Elphinstone (on the Western line) or Parel (on the Central line) and using a foot-over bridge connecting these two stations. For a lot of people who are unable to switch lines at Dadar, this foot-over bridge is an alternative way of switching lines. But since this is not a proper exchange station, the bridge is always crowded. Furthermore, with the rise of Lower Parel as a key business district in central Mumbai, thousands of commuters use Elphinstone and Parel stations to



walk down to their respective offices, adding even more pressure on the bridge.

Since there was only one bridge here, a lot of people used to cross the tracks. The Railways responded in 2012, not by building another bridge but by fencing off the tracks, to prevent people from crossing them on foot. They also deployed eight RPF and Home Guard personnel to ensure there wasn't any congestion on the bridge. However, from as early as 2012, As there was only one bridge, earlier a lot of people resorted to crossing the tracks. The Railways responded in 2012, not by building another bridge, but by fencing the tracks so people who use the already overcrowded bridge and employing about 8 RPF and Home Guards to ensure there is no congestion. 

However, the lack of an alternative was felt as many as five years ago, and passengers had urged the Railways to construct another foot-over bridge, saying the existing one is a disaster waiting to happen. But instead of fixing such a major problem, the government has been more concerned about running Bullet Trains, Metro rail, and other costly projects that can't seem to translate into reality quick enough.