News Brief
Mumbai Suburban Rail To Get New Non-AC Trains With Auto-Closing Doors By 2026 After Fatal Overcrowding Incident
The AC local train along with a non-AC train. (via GettyImages)
In the wake of a tragic incident in Mumbai where four passengers lost their lives and six others were injured after falling from an overcrowded local train, the Railway Board has announced major safety reforms.
New non-air-conditioned trains, equipped with automatic door closure systems, are set to be introduced on the Mumbai Suburban Railway network by January 2026, The Hindu reported.
A meeting chaired by Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with senior Railway Board members and experts from the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF), resulted in the decision to develop a new design for non-AC coaches that ensures safety without compromising ventilation.
Currently, Mumbai’s local train network operates 250 rakes, of which only 30 are air-conditioned. The remaining non-AC coaches have no door closing mechanisms.
Retrofitting automatic doors on existing rakes raised concerns of ventilation and suffocation, as earlier trials had shown carbon dioxide levels rising 2.5 times when doors remained shut.
"The first train of this new design will be ready by November 2025. After the testing and certification by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, it will be placed in service for feedback from the people by January 2026,” a senior official was quoted as saying.
The decision comes alongside the ongoing manufacture of 238 AC trains for the city. While costs for the new non-AC prototypes are yet to be finalised, current non-AC trains cost Rs 20–25 crore with an operational life of 18 years.
Experts like M Jamshed, former Railway Board Member, have stressed the urgency of addressing crush loads of 15 persons per square metre during peak hours. “Whether the door closing can be done with these numbers is debatable,” he noted.
