The Indian Railways has agreed to set up non-air-conditioned local trains with automatic door closure and improved ventilation by Jan. Following the tragedy at Mumbra station on Monday morning, where four commuters lost their lives and many more suffered injuries after falling from crowded trains, the decision was made.
By November, the prototype of the revised non-AC local will be released by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), according to railway officials. The train is expected to be put into service by January 2026 after trials and safety approvals.
This represents a significant policy move, as automated doors, formerly limited to air-conditioned rakes, will soon be deployed in non-AC trains as well.
The Railways will incorporate features such as louvered doors for natural airflow, roof-mounted ventilators to circulate fresh air, and vestibule connections between coaches to facilitate passenger movement and reduce crowding, addressing ventilation concerns that are a primary issue with non-AC coaches, which feature sealed doors.
In addition, the Railways has begun the procurement of 238 AC local trains, all fitted with automatic doors, to improve safety across Mumbai’s suburban network, which transports over 80 lakh passengers daily.
The entire program aims to reduce the number of cases of persons falling off trains. According to railway officials, automatic doors reduce the number of people in the compartments by doing away with footboard travel.
A 15-coach train’s first-class compartment, general compartment, ladies’ coach, and handicapped compartment were all given automated doors by the Westen Railway in 2019. The doors, which cost Rs 75 lakh, were built at the Mahalaxmi workshop of the Western Railway. Although the motorman will be in charge of the doors, commuters can notify the motorman of an emergency by pressing two emergency buttons: one on the outside of the compartments and another within the compartment directly above the entrance. Fears of suffocation and inadequate ventilation prevented the plan from being executed.
