Mumbai: Western Railway has launched a special Safety Awareness Campaign in collaboration with the popular animated character Chhota Bheem, aiming to educate passengers — especially children and families — on the dangers of trespassing and the hazards of boarding or alighting from moving trains.
“In 2024, 570 passengers died after falling from moving trains. A significant portion of these deaths occurred while attempting to board or alight from moving trains in the suburban section of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Out of the 570, 183 deaths were reported in the suburban section of Western Railway,” said an official.
“Similarly, 1,151 people died while crossing railway tracks in the suburban section of MMR. Out of these, 477 deaths were reported in the suburban section of Western Railway.” he said.
Chhota Bheem Joins Western Railway to Promote Train Safety Among Kids & Families | File Photo
"The campaign was officially inaugurated on Wednesday at Churchgate and Indore stations, falling under the Mumbai Central and Ratlam Divisions respectively. It will be further expanded to key stations including Andheri, Borivali, Ujjain, and Ratlam over the next 15 days" future added official.
According to WR, this innovative campaign has been conceptualized to maximize outreach, with a special focus on the younger audience and families. By integrating Chhota Bheem — a character with strong emotional connect and mass appeal — we aim to deliver critical safety messages in a simple yet impactful manner.
The campaign utilizes a mix of eye-catching visuals and straightforward safety messaging. It is being implemented across various platforms including digital and social media, hoardings, station banners, radio spots, and SMS alerts. To further boost engagement, exhibition kiosks featuring interactive visuals and safety quizzes have been set up at Churchgate and Indore, and will soon be installed at the other selected stations.
Highlighting the broader vision, a senior officer of WR added, “The current focus is on ‘Trespassing’ and ‘Not Boarding or Alighting from Moving Trains’, but going forward, we plan to cover more themes related to railway safety and social awareness. This is just the beginning.”
