Central Railway will establish emergency medical rooms at 43 stations on its Mumbai suburban network, expanding access to first aid after a reported rise in deaths and injuries linked to passengers falling from moving local trains. An e-auction for operating the facilities will be conducted between 18 and 23 September, after which the rooms will be opened in phases.
Only 12 emergency medical rooms are currently operational across the Mumbai suburban division, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai. The proposed expansion is intended to provide quicker access to primary treatment at more stations, particularly when commuters are injured in railway-related accidents or other medical emergencies.
The move follows directions issued in a public interest litigation before the Bombay High Court, according to the report. Central Railway has begun the process of extending medical services across its suburban network in response to those directions.
The railway’s available figures indicate that deaths and injuries in incidents involving passengers falling from moving local trains on Central Railway have increased by 250 per cent. The report said such incidents have declined on the Harbour line, while the situation on Western Railway has remained broadly unchanged. It did not provide the underlying totals or the period used to calculate the increase.
Three existing emergency medical rooms at Kalyan, Byculla and Vashi are managed through Central Railway’s medical department. Annie Foundation, Thane, has been providing the service at these facilities from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2027, according to the report.
Nine other rooms, located at Karjat, Kurla, Titwala, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Ghatkopar, Thane, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg and Dombivli, are handled by the railway’s commercial department. The division therefore uses more than one administrative arrangement to operate the medical facilities, with some rooms managed by the medical department and others overseen by the commercial department.
The process for three additional stations is at an advanced stage. At Chembur and Mankhurd, work related to obtaining medicine licences for the emergency medical rooms is under way. At Khopoli, construction is expected to be completed after the monsoon, following which the facility will be opened, the report said.
The new rooms are intended to provide primary treatment within the railway premises. Their effectiveness for passengers will depend on the completion of the auction process, the appointment of operators, regulatory clearances and the phased commissioning of the facilities. Central Railway’s immediate next step is the e-auction scheduled from 18 to 23 September.
