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.

Despite this difference, both railways 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 often crucial for investigations, while ETBs enable passengers to directly communicate with the train motorman in case of emergencies.