Mahim Railway Station, on Wednesday. Pic/ Rajendra B. Aklekar

Despite having adequate infrastructure in place, including three foot over bridges (FOBs) connecting all platforms and two additional east-to-west public bridges maintained by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), residents and daily commuters continue to risk their lives by crossing the railway tracks near Mahim railway station in Mumbai

This dangerous practice persists even though safer options are readily available, raising concerns about public awareness, enforcement, and the urgency of behavioural change

Local authorities have repeatedly urged citizens to use the designated bridges, yet the sight of people dodging oncoming trains while darting across the tracks remains common, highlighting a gap between infrastructure availability and public compliance

Earlier in April, the Western Railway has initiated urgent repair work on the Mahim South foot overbridge, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

The decision was made following the discovery of cracked precast RCC slabs and severely corroded, perforated supporting beams

The repair work commenced on April 16

The bridge spans a total length of 40 meters and a width of 4 meters

The Mahim South foot overbridge in Mumbai, which had been closed to replace cracked and damaged deck slab on April 17, was opened to pedestrians on May 2 after repairs

The old slab has been replaced with a new I-section and chequered plate. A total of 28.5 metric tonnes of steel was used during the 16-day period to repair the structure

The Western Railway initiated urgent repair work on the bridge following the discovery of cracked precast RCC slabs and severely corroded, perforated supporting beams