Mumbai: A prototype of a closed door in a non-air-conditioned local train is ready, 50 days after the tragic Mumbra incident that happened on June 9. The Central Railway’s Kurla Carshed has developed this first prototype, which will be showcased to the chairman of the railway board (CRB), the top bureaucrat of the Indian railways on August 4. This will be the first time that a closed door coach is being prepared for a non-AC local on the Central Railway (CR).
In 2019, the Western Railway had tried installing closed doors in non-AC locals, but the initiative was recalled due to overcrowding and ventilation issues. However, after the Mumbra rail incident, where passengers fell from two separate trains moving in opposite directions, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced the decision to reintroduce closed doors in non-AC local trains.
The chairman of the railway board, Satish Kumar, is expected to visit the city on Sunday and Monday to inspect the prototype, which has been fitted in one coach of a non-AC local train.
A CR official said, “This is a prototype of the closed door system that is yet to get a go-ahead. We have fitted this system in a single coach where it can be operated by the motorman or train manager.” The official added that they had begun working on the door soon after Vaishnav’s announcement. On Friday, senior CR officials visited the Kurla Carshed to inspect the door before it is presented to Kumar on Monday.
The main concern with such doors in non-AC trains is reduced ventilation which can lead to suffocation. To address that, CR took into consideration the need to redesign the door and its close mechanism.
After the Mumbra incident, the Railway Board decided that all non-AC trains will be designed and manufactured with improved ventilation. Along with the closing doors, ventilations units are to be added to pump in fresh air into coaches. CR also plans to add vestibules connecting coaches so that passengers can move freely.
In addition to the 238 AC local trains being manufactured for the city’s suburban rail network, more non-AC locals are also being redesigned to cater to the 6.5-7 million passengers who commute daily on the local trains. Some are even being designed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
Rail authorities also plan to install grab handles near the doors of the local trains at a cost of ₹2.4 crore. The additional grab handles will be fixed to horizontal rods attached to the ceiling of coaches.
CR authorities added that in the coming months they will increase the number of 15-car train services. By December, they intend to add 40-50 more services to the existing 22 services that travel along the CSMT-Kalyan route. At least five 12-car trains will be added soon, with more coaches to be added in the coming weeks, to increase the CR’s capacity by 25%. Each train will make 10-12 round trips a day, and the CR will focus on the Thane-Kalyan/Kasara/Karjat belt to ease the traffic.