All 12 coaches of a local train overshot the designated stop mark at Malad station on the night of October 12. It not only inconvenienced the passengers of the Churchgate-bound train from Virar, but could have been disastrous to people crossing the tracks; those who frequently do so use the stop mark as a safe cutoff.

It was not the first time such a thing had happened. This year itself has seen five trains overshooting since April, following nine in 2008-09, six in 2007-08 and 11 in 2006-07.

Among these incidents is one in August 2007, when a Borivli-bound slow train crossed the platform at Kandivali, creating so much panic that commuters started jumping out of train. The train finally stopped at Kandivali yard. The motorman was suspended.

In the recent case, by the time the train had crossed the designated mark at 11.25 pm and stopped, only the guard’s train was beside platform 4.

Later, the train was taken back to the platform, allowing commuters to step out.

Motorman Sachin Singh and guard Mohammed Saeed blamed each other for the mistake.

Disciplinary action has been started against both, said Shyam Sunder Gupta, chief PR officer of Western Railway.

The stop marks are on either end of the tracks, so that when the train halts, the ladies’ coach, the special coach for the disabled, and others each stops at a fixed spot.

A railway official admitted, “The number of unreported overshooting incidents is more than that of those registered. Often, for fear of punishment, motormen do not report such incidents. Such cases are invariably the result of a careless and negligent attitude. Moreover, many motormen think the administration cannot take action against them, as they can threaten a strike on every minor issue. The administration has to turn a blind eye to such things.”