MUMBAI: On Monday, the Central Railway’s answer to overcrowding in Mumbai’s local trains – a non-airconditioned train with closed doors – rolled into the Kurla car shed.
After the deadly accident in Mumbra in June last year, when five commuters fell out of two trains as they approached each other from opposite directions, the railway decided to experiment with train doors that automatically slid shut after boarding at railway stations, in non-AC locals.
The Central Railway will conduct trials starting this week, including passenger trials probably on the Nerul-Uran corridor, the least-crowded suburban section.
How is this non-AC, closed-door train different from conventional ones?
It has wider windows, louvred doors with tiny grills, and three vestibular coaches. It has 1,003 seats, 25 less than regular trains, which leaves more room for standees. The train is expected to carry 5,600 commuters, against 3,600 at present.
A major concern is ventilation inside the train, an issue debated when non-AC closed-door trains were first mooted. “The capacity of the roof-mounted ventilation system has almost doubled, and wider windows have been provided. However, we will be able to assess its efficacy only when trials are conducted,” said a CR official.
Roof-mounted blowers push fresh air into the coaches. Also, louvred doors and windows, the railway believes, will improve airflow, given the larger sliding windows.
The new system includes anti-water ingress features to ensure rain water does not enter the coaches.
The automatic sliding doors also have anti-drag features to enhance passenger safety. “It is similar to trains in the Kolkata metro, AC EMU etc. The train cannot move unless its doors are shut,” said an official from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, which manufactured the train.
The train has two other interesting features. Both ends of the train will have luggage compartments, one each for general and ladies. Both will have a locking system that can be opened in case of an emergency.
The other interesting feature is coloured windows – red, green and blue – to indicate first class for men and women. Emergency talk-back units are provided near doors and passenger areas for communication with the driver.
Mumbai’s suburban train network has been bursting at its seams for decades, and overcrowding is only getting worse. At rush hour, commuters are often seen hanging onto guard rails and door frames, sometimes colliding with electricity poles as they flash past. Occasionally, a misplaced foot on a packed footboard causes a fatal fall.
With ridership surging, the question looms: is the non-AC, closed-door local quietly shutting the door on one of Mumbai’s most pressing railway issues?