Pune: Deaths due to railway track trespassing have increased by over 7 per cent in the Pune railway division between Jan and April compared to the same period last year.As many as 113 trespassing incidents were recorded in the first four months of 2026. In these incidents, 99 lives were lost. Last year, during the same period, 111 incidents and 92 deaths were registered. This accounts for over a 7 per cent rise in fatalities.Recently, a woman narrowly escaped death at Patas railway station when she tried to cross the tracks by crawling underneath a stationary goods train. The train received a green signal and started to move. The woman had to brace against the tracks to save herself on April 30.Trespassing on railway tracks has been punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine or both under Section 147 of the Railways Act, 1989.Over the years, railway authorities have made claims about taking several measures to tackle trespassing, including awareness campaigns, fencing, CCTV cameras and increased surveillance. However, railway users’ representatives questioned the effectiveness of these initiatives.Anand Saptarshi, a member of the Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC), told TOI, “The figures clearly showed that the efforts have failed badly. Either the implementation was not serious enough, or the plans themselves were ineffective. Trespassing remained a major issue and more practical solutions were required.”Priyanka Sharma, divisional security commissioner of the Pune rail division, claimed that the situation had improved in some sections. “If one looked section-wise, areas like Chinchwad, Pune-Ahmednagar and Pune-Lonavla have shown improvement. However, some incidents were also linked to suicides on railway tracks,” she told TOI.Sharma said the railways had launched ‘Project Disha’, an awareness campaign aimed at children and teenagers in the Chinchwad section, which would soon be expanded to other vulnerable stretches.Railway officials said the increasing trend of youngsters making social media reels near tracks had become another major concern.Last year, authorities had proposed installing 58 high-end CCTV cameras at trespassing-prone locations. “Only three cameras have been installed so far, and the remaining 55 will be set up shortly. Moreover, three drones were now deployed across the Pune division for daily security surveillance,” Sharma told TOI.Hemant Kumar Behera, divisional commercial manager and PRO of the Pune division, said, “Stricter enforcement has resulted in more cases being registered. As many as 534 cases of trespassing were registered between Jan and April last year, while the number was 975 during the same period this year.”A former DRUCC member, Nikhil Kachi, said the railway administration needed to focus on stricter punishment, including imprisonment, rather than just fines. “Fencing and awareness campaigns have been discussed for years, yet the figures have remained largely unchanged. The railways must focus on intensive patrolling and stricter punishment, including imprisonment rather than just fines, to effectively control the problem,” he said.
