03 August,2025 09:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The demo of the current prototype at Kurla car shed
The Central Railway (CR) has come up with a door-closing mechanism for non-AC trains as a demo prototype, following Railway Minister Ashwini Vasihnaw's directive after the Mumbra tragedy on June 9. The prototype is scheduled for presentation to Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar during his Mumbai visit this weekend.
Both the Central and the Western railways have been tinkering with the closed-door prototypes in non-airconditioning trains for at least the last two decades, with no solution in sight.
The latest prototype has been touted as an important step in getting the closed-door problem right as officials have said they address the three major constraints in previous prototypes. First, the doors were to have louvres (angled slats) on doors. Second, coaches will have roof mounted ventilation units to pump in fresh air, since the earlier prototypes were said to be suffocating and thirdly the coaches will have vestibules for ease of movement from one coach to the other.
The train at Kurla car shed, however, does not have louvres as planned earlier but lattice design panels. "An automatic closing door is being worked out at the Kurla car shed and it will be used for experimental runs to assess how it performs while on the run," an official said.
The Railway Board had asked the Central Railway as well as manufacturers Integral Coach Factory to work on such trains for passenger safety. "The major issue with automatic door closing in non-AC trains has been suffocation because of reduced ventilation," he added. A final design is expected to be in place by November 2025.
Commuter voices
AS Pradhan, Commuter Advocate
"Although a good initiative, it has many questions on practicality than answers to the safety of Bonafide Commuters during the Peak Hours."
Kiran Shah, Commuter
"I think it is a sheer waste of time, money and effort. Just make all rakes air conditioned and apply time tested door closing methods. All metro trains are air conditioned and aam aadmi uses them. Likewise for long distance trains."
