Following the death of four passengers and injuries to six others who fell from an overcrowded local train in Mumbai during peak hours on Monday, the Railway Board has announced a major safety upgrade. In a significant policy shift, it has decided to introduce non-air-conditioned (non-AC) trains with automatic door closure—a feature previously limited to AC local trains.
The first prototype of these upgraded non-AC trains are expected to be ready by November 2025 and will be rolled out by January 2026 on the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. The move aims to curb footboard travel, a key factor in fall-related accidents. Railway officials say automatic doors will prevent overcrowding at train entrances, thereby improving overall passenger safety.
One of the biggest challenges in non-AC coaches with sealed doors is ventilation. To address this, the Railways will incorporate louvred doors for natural airflow, roof-mounted ventilators for circulation, and vestibule connections between coaches to ease movement and reduce crowding.
In parallel, the Railways has also begun procurement of 238 new AC local trains equipped with automatic doors to boost safety on Mumbai’s suburban network, which transports over 80 lakh passengers daily.
RTI by Activist Exposes Gaps in Train Fire Safety
Meanwhile, railway safety activist Samir Zaveri, under the RTI Act, 2005, sought data on safety measures implementation in Mumbai suburban and long-distance trains. In its reply in 2023, the Central Railway Mumbai Division stated that:
- No recommendations were received from the Commission of Railway Safety in the year 2021–22 regarding public safety on Mumbai suburban trains on the Central Line. As a result, there is no status of compliance to report.
- Heat and smoke detectors and automatic fire suppression systems have not yet been installed. However, the Railway Board approved their installation in 646 basic units of EMU/MEMU trains on Central Railway under the 2023–24 Rolling Stock Programme.
- CCTV cameras are currently installed in 192 ladies’ coaches and 25 non-ladies’ coaches in Mumbai Suburban EMU trains
- Fire extinguishers are present, but no numbers were disclosed.
Zaveri said that while the Railways compensate victims’ families after accidents, they fail to invest adequately in safety measures to prevent such incidents in the first place. Despite a steady rise in the number of commuters and existing approvals to convert 12-coach local trains into 15-coach trains, full implementation is still pending. He added that he had filed an RTI to seek details on the safety measures implemented in suburban and long-distance trains, and the Railway’s response clearly highlights significant gaps.
Zaveri has now urged the Railway Minister to take immediate action and ensure the installation of automated fire detection and suppression systems across all suburban and long-distance trains to enhance passenger safety.
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