India, July 16 -- The Western Railway (WR) has identified 27 hotspots between Churchgate and Virar, where commuters risk their lives by using illegal shortcuts to cross the railway tracks. The railway has begun sealing these spots by repairing and rebuilding boundary walls at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crore.

Most of these trespassing hotspots are along breaks in boundary walls along the tracks, usually midway between railway stations. They have been identified in a survey conducted by the railway, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

"We had identified 77 gaps in boundary walls along the Churchgate-Virar suburban corridor. These openings were created by commuters to provide access the tracks. In t...