Fifty days after a tragic accident at Mumbra exposed serious gaps in suburban rail safety, Mumbai is taking its first step toward a safer commuter experience. Central Railway has developed and fitted a prototype closing door system in a non-air-conditioned local train coach, a first for Mumbai’s suburban rail network. The newly designed coach, currently stationed at the Kurla Carshed, is scheduled for inspection by the chairman of the railway board on August 4.
The move comes in the wake of a June 9 incident where passengers fell from two non-AC local trains moving in opposite directions. That fatal event led railway officials to rethink passenger safety in open-door coaches—a common feature of Mumbai’s heavily used suburban system. The reintroduction of automated closing doors is part of a broader safety overhaul announced by the Union Railway Ministry. The key challenge with implementing closed-door systems in non-AC coaches has always been ventilation. Earlier attempts by Western Railway in 2019 were shelved due to overcrowding and poor airflow. This time, Central Railway officials say they’ve redesigned both the door system and ventilation infrastructure to allow fresh air circulation without compromising commuter comfort. The prototype features improved airflow systems and provisions for fresh air pumping, addressing fears of suffocation during peak hours.
The new coach is fitted with doors that can be controlled either by the train manager or motorman, allowing for regulated passenger access during boarding and alighting. Railway engineers have also added vestibule links between coaches in the new design to ease movement across compartments—a longstanding request from regular commuters. Officials from the railways’ design team confirmed that additional enhancements are on the way. Grab handles will soon be installed near the doors to assist standing passengers, with an investment of ₹2.4 crore allocated for this phase. These handles will be fixed to reinforced ceiling rods to withstand high usage.
As part of the longer-term suburban rail upgrade strategy, Central Railway has also confirmed the expansion of train capacity on the CSMT-Kalyan corridor. By December, over 40 new 15-car services will be added to the current 22 in operation. Five additional 12-car trains will begin running in the coming weeks, aiming to boost overall carrying capacity by 25%. A focus will be placed on high-density stretches such as Thane to Kasara and Karjat, where passenger congestion is most severe. The new coach is a pilot—its rollout is contingent on approval from the Railway Board. However, if successful, this could mark a pivotal transformation in how India approaches safety in non-AC urban trains. For a city that relies so heavily on its rail network, especially by low- and middle-income commuters, it’s not just an engineering upgrade—it’s a civic imperative.
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