Indian Railways will redesign its non-AC trains after four commuters died by falling on tracks from crowded Mumbai locals, Monday. The new trains will have automatically closing doors with improved ventilation.
An official statement said the major issue with automatic door closing in non-AC trains is suffocation because of reduced ventilation. These new trains will be readied by November 2025 and put into service by January 2026 after necessary tests and certification. Listing the changes, Railway Board said doors of these new trains will have louvres while roof mounted ventilation units pump in fresh air to the coaches.
“The coaches will have vestibules so that passengers can move from one coach to another and balance out the crowd in a natural way,” the Railway Board said another 238 AC trains being manufactured for Mumbai suburban services.
Four commuters died and nine were injured after falling off two overcrowded local trains in Maharashtra’s Thane. The incident occurred near Mumbra railway station when the trains were passing each other on a steep turn.
Officials said the victims were travelling on the footboard of the two trains, one travelling towards Kasara and another travelling towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai. The commuters were hanging from the doors of the crowded trains and their backpacks brushed against each other as the trains passed in opposite directions.
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