Falls from trains and deaths at the track: 17,029 people died in India in 2024, and how to board, travel and cross safely

Falls from trains and collisions with people at the track killed 17,029 people in India in 2024, which is 76.0 per cent of all deaths on railway tracks and premises, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). That is more than 46 deaths a day (our division by 366 days). The risk sits at two places every passenger knows, and both are easy to cut: the open door of a crowded coach and the line a person decides to cross. This guide sets out what NCRB counted, what the law and the Railways say, and the habits that keep a passenger off the footboard and off the track. Checked 13 November 2026.

In short

• 17,029 deaths in 2024 from falls from trains or collisions with people at the track, 76.0 per cent of the 22,413 deaths on railway tracks and premises (NCRB). Maharashtra had 3,587 deaths there and Uttar Pradesh 3,538.
• Never hang from the footboard or the door. Stand inside the coach, hold a fixed handrail and keep your bag in front of you. If the coach is too full, wait for the next train.
• Board and get off only when the train has stopped. Let people get off first. Do not run alongside a moving train.
• Never cross the track. Use the foot overbridge, subway or lift, even when no train is in sight. Trespass on the railway is an offence under section 147 of the Railways Act.
• If someone is hurt or in danger, call 139 (RailMadad, security and medical help) or 112 and tell the guard or station staff. Do not climb onto the track.

What the numbers say

NCRB’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2024 counts 4,95,256 traffic accidents and 1,99,443 deaths. Of those deaths, 1,75,142 were road deaths, 22,413 were incidents on railway tracks or in railway premises, and 1,888 were at railway crossings. NCRB recorded no “railway accidents” (its category for collisions, derailments and the like) in 2024; the 22,413 deaths below are in its separate category of incidents on railway tracks or in railway premises. On tracks and premises there were 25,397 incidents (up 2.9 per cent from 24,678 in 2023), 22,413 deaths and 3,136 injured. Of the incidents, 19,416 (76.6 per cent) were falls from trains or collisions with people at the track, and 17,029 of the deaths (76.0 per cent) were of that kind.

Maharashtra reported 5,781 of the incidents (22.8 per cent) and 3,587 of the deaths (16.0 per cent). Uttar Pradesh reported 3,547 incidents (14.0 per cent) and 3,538 deaths (15.8 per cent). Maharashtra also had 5,609 of the 19,416 falls and track collisions (28.9 per cent). At railway crossings NCRB recorded 1,892 accidents and 1,888 deaths (Uttar Pradesh 610, West Bengal 549, Kerala 267), and no deaths at unmanned crossings; our guide to railway level crossing safety covers that.

What these numbers cannot tell you

• NCRB puts “fall from trains” and “collision with people at track” in one category, so we cannot say how many of the 17,029 fell from a door and how many were hit while crossing or walking on the line.
• The chapter text gives no split by age, sex, time of day, station or type of train, and does not say how many deaths were suicides or were reported by other agencies.
• The figures are for incidents on tracks and premises in the whole country. Local figures differ; for example, the Railways told the Lok Sabha on 23 July 2025 that 2,282 deaths were reported on the Mumbai suburban network in 2024, with causes including trespassing and falling from running trains (Government Railway Police data, as reported by PTI). That figure is not comparable with NCRB’s national count.

At the door and on the footboard

The danger is simple: a body hanging outside a moving coach has nothing to stop a bump, a swing or a slip. In June 2025 Central Railway’s spokesperson said that the victims in a crowded-train accident near Mumbra were travelling on the footboard of two trains, and that passengers hanging from the doors were struck by each other’s bags as the trains passed on a steep curve (PTI). We mention it only as an example of how a crowded door fails; this guide is about the habit, not that accident. Our points, which are our own advice and not an official list:

• Stay inside. Even with only your toes on the edge of the door, a jolt can pull you out. Move in, hold a fixed handrail or a vertical pole, and keep your bag in front of you, not on your back.
• Do not board or get off a moving train. Wait for a full stop, let people get off first, and never run alongside a train or jump the gap.
• If the coach is too crowded, wait for the next train. Plan the extra few minutes into the trip.
• Do not sit in the doorway with your legs outside, and do not lean out to take a photograph or a video.
• With children and older relatives, board first and take your time, hold their hands and wait for a less crowded train rather than push through a doorway.
• On a long journey, do not stand at an open door to cool off or to look at the view.

The Railways say they are changing the trains too. In June 2025 the Railway Board said that all new suburban trains built for Mumbai would have automatic door closing, that existing trains would be redesigned, and that 238 AC trains were being built; it also said that non-AC trains needed a ventilation design first (PTI). In July 2025 the Railway Minister told the Lok Sabha that automatic doors keep passengers from hanging on footboards or boarding moving trains, which he called a major cause of fatal accidents. We could not confirm how many such trains are in service today.

At the track

• Never cross the track, at a station or in the open. Use the foot overbridge, the subway, the lift or the escalator, even if it is a longer walk. Trains can come from either direction, quickly and quietly, on a line you are not watching.
• Do not walk along the line, and do not stand on or beside it to take a selfie.
• Keep your head up near the line. Our suggestion: no phone and no headphones while crossing a platform edge or a level crossing.
• If something falls on the track, do not climb down after it. Tell station staff. Our guide to railway platform safety covers the platform edge, the safety line and the foot overbridge.
• Wait behind the yellow line as the train arrives and keep back from the edge in a crowd. Our guide to railway station stampedes and footbridges covers crowded stations.

What the law says

Two sections of the Railways Act, 1989 apply. Section 147 makes it an offence to enter any part of a railway without lawful authority, punishable by up to six months in prison or a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both; the fine cannot be below Rs 500 unless the court records special reasons; a railway servant may remove the person. Section 156 covers a person who keeps travelling on the roof, step or footboard of a carriage or on an engine after being warned by a railway servant to stop; the punishment is up to three months in prison or a fine of up to Rs 500, or both, and the person may be removed. We read the text on a legal reference site, not on India Code, so check the current wording there. The aim of the sections is to keep people off the track and off the footboard, not to punish a victim.

If someone falls or is hit

• Call 139 (the RailMadad helpline, which its page lists for security and medical assistance) or 112, and tell the guard, the station master or a railway staff member. Give the station, the train and the direction. Our guide to how to call 112, 101 or 108 says what to tell the control room.
• Do not go onto the track to help unless you are sure no train is coming. Our caution: a second person hurt on the line helps no one, so call first.
• Do not move a person who may have hurt the neck or back, unless there is immediate danger. Keep them warm and still until the ambulance or the railway medical team arrives. Our guide to first aid for a road accident covers the first minutes; the same steps apply.
• Our guide to fire in a train coach or metro covers what a passenger does if a coach catches fire.

What we could not confirm

NCRB’s chapter text has no split between falls from trains and collisions with people at the track, and no age, time or station breakdown. We did not find a single Indian Railways notice on door and footboard habits that we could open, so the habits above are our own, informed by the Railways’ public statements. The 139 number comes from the RailMadad page we opened. The two videos below are general safety learning from Australia and New Zealand and were not watched in full. We could not confirm how many suburban trains with automatic doors are in service. This page is general safety information, not legal advice.

Do this this week

• Agree one rule in the family: nobody stands at an open door or crosses the track.
• Save 139 and 112 in your phone.
• Before the next journey, find the foot overbridge or subway at your station and use it.