It took an try at sexual assault on a lady passenger final Saturday (March 22, 2025) night time for the South Central Railway (SCR) to have a re-look on the security, safety, punctuality and frequency of MMTS suburban practice companies within the capital area. The 23-year-old lady sustained extreme accidents after leaping off the shifting practice in an try to flee.

Although high officers have introduced security measures resembling CCTV cameras inside coaches, panic buttons, common patrols by safety personnel submit the incident, these native trains have lengthy uncared for the commuters’ clamour for higher companies.

Each SCR and the State Authorities are the responsible companions on this three way partnership, launched in August 2003 by then Deputy Prime Minister L.Ok. Advani within the presence of then Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya (then Secunderabad MP) after which Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu.

It might be a miracle that no different main crime has been reported on these trains, given the scary tales recounted by a number of passengers about males travelling in girls compartments with impunity and complaints of nuisance being ignored.

Commuters declare that not often have they arrive throughout safety personnel patrolling the native trains, “Snatching of chains, mobiles and purses have been taking place on remoted sections when passengers are few. However, attacking a lady passenger has come as a shock. We shudder on the considered what might have occurred if the sufferer had not jumped off the practice,” says Bharat, a commuter.

Commuters like Sudhir Ok. Raj and Nagaraj have been flagging the safety loopholes, such because the absence of safety escorts on the trains, particularly on girls coaches, and posting images of miscreants inflicting nuisance throughout the journey between Yakutpura and Uppuguda in addition to Umdanagar and Secunderabad stations. They are saying they tag the railway authorities on their social media posts.

Additionally they allege that the Railway Safety Pressure (RPF) are usually not being proactive, and personnel are discovered stationed solely on choose platforms. “MMTS trains are nearly empty after Bolarum in the direction of Medchal throughout the late hours with hardly 15-20 passengers travelling. Every station is a couple of kilometres away, and there’s hardly any ticket checking or safety patrol,” says Ahmed, one other commuter.

Stations like Gowdavalli current a desolate image with only a few dwellings round and will give creeps to anybody travelling at night time, he factors out. Police have additionally discovered that out of the 14 stations between Secunderabad and Medchal, solely Malkajgiri, other than Secunderabad, have CCTV protection.

Timings go for a toss

The commuters additionally level out how MMTS trains are halted at any level or cancelled any time with none discover, apparently to make method for an specific or freight practice.

“MMTS trains’ unscheduled halts at Dayanandnagar, Cavalry Barracks and different stations and even on the outer sections can stretch as much as 45 minutes. Think about being on a nine-coach practice alone on such sections? Is it any marvel many keep away from travelling [on the trains] particularly after darkish?” asks Suresh, a commuter.

Srinivas Prasad, a commuter who travels to Lingampally, provides, “We’ve got seen metre gauge suburban trains operating packed on this part. There may be much less patronage for MMTS in the direction of Medchal as a result of practice timings are erratic, and unscheduled halts all alongside the route from Lalaguda until Chandnagar throughout each morning and night hours make it inconvenient for workers and college students; I’m aghast SCR is unable to discover a resolution.”

Is it any marvel, some commuters ask, that the passenger depend has dropped to about 50,000 from nearly two lakh a day earlier. The railway attributes discount of companies to 80 from over 120 earlier than to “no patronage” and commuters shifting to “free bus” journey and Metro, however the passengers level a agency finger at “unreliable companies”.

“SCR has killed MMTS by not operating on time, cancelling companies on a whim and making it unreliable. No marvel they run empty,” reads a pithy remark by Vrijlesh Rai on ‘X’.

Whose accountability

As per norm, SCR handed over the sexual assault case to the Authorities Railway Police (GRP), which capabilities below the State Authorities with powers to research crimes and take care of regulation and order points. And, regardless of two Union ministers from Telangana urging the railway to take “accountability” for the survivor’s medical care, nothing has occurred, save for a token go to by a couple of officers to the hospital the place she is present process remedy. The offender is but to be arrested when reviews final got here in.

Some commuters say that other than a scarcity of safety personnel, there are coordination points between GRP and RPF, leaving an enormous hole in making certain seen patrolling on trains. “RPF-GRP personnel are current at distinguished stations resembling Malkajgiri, however not on outskirts. Their focus is specific trains, and native trains are sometimes given a miss,” alleges Rajesh, one other commuter.

Rakesh, a commuter, means that SCR observe the strategy of the Mumbai suburban trains, the place a house guard travels on girls coaches at night time. One other recommendation is to chop down the variety of coaches from 9/12 to 6 for higher coordination and safety.

A high railway official, searching for anonymity, says that sure “blackspots” on MMTS sections have been recognized and admitted scarcity of safety personnel from each RPF and GRP sides. “We are attempting to bridge the hole by taking in 500 residence guards,” he says.