College student dies after hitting railway pole

A sad an unfortunate accident happened yesterday (November 1, 2011) when 17-year old Jaideep lost his life while travelling in a train. The accident happened between Malad and Kandivli stations when he was travelling on the foot board and leaning outside (as per reports).Tragecially, his head hit a railway pole and he was declared dead before admission.

Jaideep was FYJC student at Lord's college, Malad.

Please avoid travelling on foot board and please never lean out of trains.

Similar accidents in the past

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How to identify First Class compartment in Mumbai trains

Often the non-regular / new Mumbai local train commuters are caught travelling in a first class compartment with a second-class ticket. While some are 'offenders on purpose', many commuters (especially ladies) are unable to differentiate between first class and second class compartments from outside. It is only after they board the first class compartment, they realise it!

I have often seen some ladies panicking after realising it and trying to jump off the moving train to avoid being caught by the ticket checkers. This as we all know can be fatal.

So if you are a new commuter of the Mumbai's lifeline, here's how to identify the first class compartment:

1. The compartments have stripes on the outer side. Refer the image. 
2. The section of platform where these compartments halt too have a portion painted in stripes (either the station name board stand / pole / floor / wall).
3. The seats of the first class compartments are cushioned.

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What to do when you see someone performing stunts in trains?

Yesterday, a video of Reay Road train stunt boys became a 'hit' on Facebook. While many people condemned the stunt, some were rather amazed by the 'talent' of these boys. I wondered and figured out why people don't try hard enough to stop these guys in the train - Dangerous train stunt: Please don't attempt this.

Stop the stunt boys NOW!

Little did I know that today's headlines would be about someone copying the act and getting severely injured. A 13-year old Zahid Ansari imitated the act with 2 of his friends in a CST-bound train. When a railway yard worker standing by the tracks asked them to stop, Zahid hurled out abuses at him. Within seconds, the boy hit a pole and fell off the train! Zahid landed unconscious on the tracks as the yard worker rushed to save him in time!

Now here's the thing my fellow commuters - It might take time for all the 'stunt heroes' to stop these stupid acts. But until then, let's do something about it. 

What to do to stop these guys:

1. Do not waste any time after noticing an act. Immediately ask them sternly to stop and continue until they stop. Ignore their swear words, coz they don't know what they are doing. If you see someone trying to stop the guys, join the person. If all the commuters together insist that they stop, they sure will.
2. Tell the guys that you will report it to police and they can be jailed for three months. Section 156 of Railway Act punishes those travelling dangerously. Accused can be fined Rs 500 and/or sent to prison for three months.
3. Call up the helpline numbers (please save the numbers on your phone).
4. If necessary, stop the train by pulling the chain.

Also, you can check out the accident info over the months at the Central Railway website. As of today, there are already 241 accident cases reported including those who fell off the train, were knocked down, fell due to giddiness and were run over while crossing the tracks.

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