Days after a stampede at Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus railway station left ten people injured, CCTV footage of passengers scrambling to board an unreserved train and causing chaotic scenes on the platform has come out.
The accident occurred when crowds of people attempted to climb the 22-coach Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express, which was entering from the railway yard at about 2:44 am on Sunday. Crowds in such huge numbers were not unusual during the holiday season.
The footage shows passengers struggling to keep their balance as they try to board the train, and it was taken from a CCTV camera located at the north end of platform one. Many are seen rushing to enter the train before it could come to a complete halt, with some even trying to squeeze through an emergency exit window. However, the actual moment of the stampede is not captured in the footage.
Anticipating the Diwali and Chhath festivals, given the heavy passenger traffic during the festive period, Western Railway has announced the running of more than 130 special trains for different destinations, most for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Platform ticket sales have been curtailed at various important stations like Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra Terminus, Borivali, Vasai Road, Vapi, Valsad, Udhna, and Surat to avoid platform crowding for easy movement of passengers.
Northern Railways has also requested that passengers arrive at least an hour before their train’s scheduled departure time, avoiding last-minute congestion and ensuring a smooth boarding process.
