Mumbai’s local trains are the heart of the city. Millions rely on them a day, for example, to get to work, school and home. But behind that lifeline is a harsh reality: overcrowding, chaos and danger. And then there’s this new video: Passengers struggling to board a packed train has once again put risks to commuters in perspective every day. The following tweet, a click away from the video, showed a staggering statistic: between 7 to 10 people die on Mumbai’s local train network every day. This is not only an issue of transportation, it is a crisis that must be addressed urgently.
The city’s suburban rail connection is among the busiest in the world. It handles more than 75 lakh passengers each day on Western, Central and Harbour lines. But while the infrastructure is weak, it hasn’t kept up with the growing city. Trains often fill beyond capacity, particularly around peak hours. Commuters dangle from doors, stand on footboards and shove their way into compartments. In this chaos, accidents are frequent and often fatal.
According to Official Data, 7-10 Passengers die every day in Mumbai Local Trains. Simply adding doors and a few guards to maintain order could prevent these tragedies...
— Dr Ranjan (@AAPforNewIndia) January 9, 2026
But NO, they'd rather celebrate the "Spirit of Mumbai." pic.twitter.com/66bdX48XCy
Official figures show that thousands of people die every year from accidents on Mumbai’s local trains. Most of these deaths come from falling off overcrowded trains or crossing railway tracks. The highest number of fatalities were recorded in regions such as Thane, Kalyan and Borivali. And these are not rare accidents, there are accidents every single day. And they are preventable.
Experts and activists have long proposed simple safety measures that could save lives. These measures involve installing automatic doors on non-AC coaches, fencing platforms to guard against track crossings, more guards to manage crowds and improving train frequencies during busy peak hours. However, many of these suggestions are largely overlooked. But authorities tend to salute the “Spirit of Mumbai,” a term associated with the resilience of commuters. But resilience should never be used as an excuse for neglect. People should not have to risk their lives for work.
The human cost of this neglect is immense. Behind all of the statistics is an actual person, a parent, a student, a worker. Whenever someone dies on the tracks, families, communities and the city are affected. These are not just numbers. They are lives lost as a result of a system that doesn’t protect its users.
The viral video is of people shoving each other and into a train that’s full. This is a familiar observation, but it shouldn’t be the norm. It bears a system that has run out of steam, shortchanging it in trying to offer safe travel. That so many lives are lost each day should not be regarded as routine. It’s an indication that something’s fundamentally wrong.
Mumbai’s railways need urgent improvements. Even as the government has announced more AC trains and aimed at a 2031 safety overhaul, that’s still years away. In the meantime, tiny changes can be enormous. There are easy steps that can be started right now in order to put up automatic doors, increase train frequency, hire more people to run the platform, and train commuters on proper safe habits and conduct safe travel.
Mumbai’s own local trains are a city’s energy and movement. But they are also an everyday danger for thousands of people. No more slogans, now is the time to address it. Safety must come first. The people of Mumbai deserve a transport system that respects their lives, not one that puts them in danger.
