By‘Who is responsible,’ ask families as city witnesses highest number of rail deaths in a single day in recent years.Seventeen people were killed on Mumbai’s train networks on Tuesday, the highest number of rail deaths the city has witnessed in a single day in recent memory.The track horror left the victims’ devastated families asking the same question — “who is responsible?” — even as railway officials and experts disagreed on factors that have made the train commute increasingly unsafe.A total of 590 deaths have been reported on Main, Harbour and Western Lines so far this year. On an average, nine people are killed every day after falling off packed locals or attempting to cross tracks.Trespassing was blamed for 14 fatalities on Tuesday, while three passengers lost their life in falls. Six people were injured while trying to board moving locals.The deceased victims were aged between 19 and 60, and many of them were their families’ sole providers. First-year commerce student Akash Gupta, from Kandivali, worked part-time with a Mahim firm to support his two sisters and their bedridden mother. His father passed away a few years ago.“Akash was our only hope. How will we manage now?” asked his mother, Anita. Akash fell off a train near Andheri station. “He left early on Tuesday morning. We didn’t even get a chance to talk properly,” his sister said.Titwala resident Umang Yadav, 19, also died after a fall near Kalyan station at 12.15 pm. “Who is responsible for my son’s death? Railway officials say the incident took place during non-peak hours, but have they ever travelled in the afternoon? It’s always crowded,” Umang’s father, Amaldar Awadhraj Yadav said.Balu Bhered, a 46-year-old cook from a village in Thane district, lost his grip and landed on the tracks near Thane station. “He was returning home after visiting a relative who had been injured in a road accident,” said his son, Raju. “I was at work when an official called and informed me that I had lost my father.”Subhash Gupta, a member of Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Council, said overcrowding on trains was one of the main reasons for increasing fatalities. “Often, there are first-time travellers in crammed compartments and they don’t know where they should stand or when they should try to get off the train,” he said.But majority of the fatal accidents on Tuesday were the result of trespassing. Durgesh Wankhede, 30, who worked as a housekeeping supervisor, was struck by a train at Mira Road around 2.30 pm. He is survived by his wife, their fouryear-old son and his younger brother.“We would call me from work every day, but on Tuesday, I could not contact him. Later, police turned up at our door and informed us that Durgesh had died,” said his brother, Rakesh.The family alleged that cops added to their trauma by first saying Durgesh had been knocked down by a train and then saying he fell off a platform.Auto driver Lal Sahab Yadav was crushed by a train at Nallasopara station. Only part of his mutilated body has been recovered. His brother, Brijesh, said Lal was an alcoholic and most likely committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.“Who is responsible for the 17 deaths? Why have officials been unable to fence off accident-prone stretches to prevent trespassing?” asked leading rail-safety activist.Railway officials said poor safety awareness among commuters was also a major problem. They said despite repeated pleas, many people cross tracks instead of using foot overbridges, and stand on the train footboard.“People stand on the footboard even when there is sufficient room inside compartments. Many trespassing incidents later turn out to be suicide cases,” said Shailendra Kumar, WR’s divisional railway manager. “The number of railway accidents generally goes up during festivals and exams, and we are working on a solution.”Narendra Patil, CR’s chief public relations officer, said efforts were under way to educate commuters, especially youngsters, about rail safety.But commuters and experts say there are not enough east-west pedestrian bridges and this forces many people to cross the tracks.