8,700 People Died On Railway Tracks In 2020 Despite Reduced Train Services

Most of the victims were migrant workers who chose to walk home along the railway tracks during the coronavirus lockdown, according to officials.

Over 8,700 people were mowed down on railway tracks in 2020 even though passenger train services were severely curtailed during the year due to the national coronavirus lockdown, with officials saying many of the victims were migrant workers. The Railway Board shared the data on such deaths for the period between January and December 2020 in its reply to a question by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur under the Right to Information Act. "Based on the information received from the State Police, 805 people suffered injuries and 8,733 people died on the railway track between January 2020 and December 2020," the Railway Board has said. Officials separately said that many of those dead were migrant workers who chose to walk home along the tracks because train routes are considered shorter than roads or highways.