Mumbai’s Suburban Trains To Get Sensor-Based Automatic Doors From December 2025

Mumbai’s suburban rail network is set for its biggest safety upgrade in decades, with automatic doors to become a standard feature across both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rakes by the end of 2025, as per a Indian Express report.

The move comes in the wake of repeated accidents, including the June Mumbra tragedy, where four passengers lost their lives after falling from an overcrowded local.

Speaking at the Bullet Train–Shilphata Tunnel breakthrough event in Ghansoli on Saturday (20 September), Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined the government’s focus on passenger safety.

“Automatic doors will now be a standard feature in suburban trains. Safety cannot be compromised, and we will ensure these trains are running before the end of this year,” Vaishnaw was quoted as saying by IE.

According to railway officials, 238 new fully air-conditioned trains are currently being manufactured, each fitted with sensor-based automatic doors.

These will be deployed across the Central and Western Railway corridors, representing the largest ever rollout of AC rakes in the city.

Simultaneously, existing non-AC trains will gradually be upgraded.

A prototype developed at Kurla has already demonstrated the feasibility of automatic doors for conventional locals, fitted with ventilated panels, roof-mounted circulation units to address suffocation concerns, and interconnecting vestibules to improve passenger flow.

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai is producing these rakes, with the first expected to arrive in November ahead of wider deployment.

Officials stressed the system is designed to shut doors before departure and reopen only once halted, drastically reducing the risk of commuters being pushed out or attempting to board on the move.

Around eight fatalities occur daily on Mumbai’s railways, mostly from overcrowding and unsafe boarding.

With automatic doors, the Railways hopes not only to cut accident rates but also to reshape commuter behaviour.

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