38 killed in train station stampede

Just read today that in a India train station, 38 people are stepped to death in a rush for coming train. There are ten of thousand of people waiting for the train. When the announcement comes that the train has changed to another platform, the people starts to run for it. And it causes such accident.

Last year when I am at Bangkok airport going to ride the airport train. There is an announcement in Thai and people starts running. As I reach the platform, the train has started to depart. Then I understand why the people are running. They run because they want to catch the train and avoid waiting. They know the train is leaving because if the PA system.

And with my meeting with local authority, I come to understand that providing train timing may cause accident. And now I understand it.

If people know the train is leaving, people tends to rush. Accidents can happen. Nobody likes to wait.

What are the facts?

If people know in advance the train is coming in 5 min, people may not run but walk faster. If people know the train is coming in 1 min and the next is coming in 3 min, I think people will not rush. As the waiting is not long.

Is there a right way where we can provide train time without causing people to rush and yet they can avoid the waiting time?

Can the station stampede at India station be avoided? A sudden change of train platform.

Over crowded station causes the accident? Will train loading info prevent overcrowding of station?

1 min (in red) 7 min (in green)

The above timing shows 2 train coming. The first is red color, indicating 80% full. The second is green, indicating 50% full. If I know the info, will I wait for the second train?

Even today at a mall, it is so crowded that people cannot really walk freely and people do rush. For what I am not sure? It is not a nice place to go if it is so crowded where there is so much friction.

If places are so crowded, why cannot our leaders feel it? Maybe they don't take the train or go shopping locally.

A train disruption will cause the worst when people are struck at a train station. I see the importance of informing the passenger when the train is disrupted for a long period. But who and when to inform? The people who is going to the station when the disruption is happening.

I pray for people in India. Hopefully someone can come out with a way to solve the overcrowded station and mall in the world.