Train design finalised with three ventilation-focused upgrades; first non-AC rake with new features to be ready by November 2025. Mumbai Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) suburban local trains will change their design after Monday’s Mumbra incident, and the new look train will be ready by November 2025 and in public service by January 2026
Four passengers were killed, and nine injured after falling off a moving local train between Mumbra and Diva. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Mumbai Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) suburban local trains will change their design after Monday’s Mumbra incident, and the new look train will be ready by November 2025 and in public service by January 2026 after tests and trials.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday met manufacturers Integral Coach Factory and finalised the new design with three key changes. First, the doors will have louvres (angled slats fixed or hung at doors, allow air or light to pass through). Second, coaches will have roof mounted ventilation units to pump in fresh air. And third, the coaches will have vestibules.
Ashwini Vaishnaw
“In the wake of the sad incident today in Mumbai, the Railway Minister and Railway Board officials had a detailed meeting with the ICF team. The purpose was to find a practical solution to the issue of automatic door closing in local non-AC trains in Mumbai. The major issue with automatic door closing in non-AC trains is suffocation because of reduced ventilation,” said an Indian Railways spokesperson.
“After detailed discussions, it was decided that new non-AC trains will be designed and manufactured where the key issue of ventilation will be resolved using three design changes: First, the doors will have louvres.
Second, coaches will have roof-mounted ventilation units to pump in fresh air. And third, 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 first train of this new design will be ready by November 2025. After necessary tests and certification, it will be put into service by January 2026. This is in addition to the 238 AC trains being manufactured for Mumbai suburban services,” he added.
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