23 July,2026 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | The Editorial
Representation pic
We like this race and urge that one catch up with the other. The Central Railway (CR) has surged ahead of Western Railway (WR) in installing onboard safety systems in Mumbai's local trains, achieving 100 per cent CCTV camera and emergency talk-back (ETB) coverage in all ladies' coaches, a feat that WR is yet to accomplish.
Yet, even with the Central Railway stealing a march over its Western counterpart, both facilities continue to lag significantly in equipping general coaches, where the majority of Mumbaikars commute, with these installations, as per data available with mid-day. CCTV footage is, of course, crucial for investigations, while ETBs enable passengers to directly communicate with the train motorman in case of emergencies.
These lacunae, whether in the ladies or general compartments, seem even more glaring, especially as we have had a series of recent incidents all too fresh in the public mind where violent altercations have occurred aboard local trains.
These features need to be installed at the earliest. They are important in the safety ecosystem of the Railways. They act as deterrents for would-be criminals and cause some to think twice; and so it is with the ETB, especially in the ladies' compartment.
Today, we have so many plans about station and train upgrades. We have station areas that are going to become like complexes, with more trains becoming air-conditioned. Yet, with basic lapses, where surveillance is compromised, or commuters do not have recourse to a quick emergency avenue, upgrades lose meaning. Get our fundamentals, and these are the basics in place first.
