Western Railway (WR) has gone beyond what the special committee appointed by high court recommended in terms of railway platform heights.
While it was recommended that platform heights be raised to at least 900mm to prevent commuters from falling into the gap between the footboard and the platform, WR has raised the height of nearly 70 per cent of its platforms to 940mm, rendering the hitherto killer gap extremely passenger-friendly.
According to WR Government Railway Police (GRP), as many as 39 people died after falling into the gap in 2014.
WR has now raised the height of 75 out of its 144 platforms as part of the deadline given by HC to find ways to curb the number of deaths caused by commuters slipping into the gap.
“We have completed raising the height of these 75 platforms which used to be in the 720 mm and 820 mm range,” said a senior railway official.
“The HC had given us a minimum requirement of 900 mm but we have been able to go above that to a good 940 mm. Which basically means that platforms will be almost parallel to the footboard,” the official further added.
Central Railway (CR) had only recently made an announcement that platforms on its slow corridors, which are on the mainline and harbour, will be parallel to the footboard of the train.
This would make the train handicap-friendly, especially for those who use a wheelchair.
The platform height issue came up when the then 16-year-old Monica More fell at Ghatkopar in January 2014, due to which the Bombay high court took suo moto action against the railways, asking it to raise the height of platforms.
