All sub-urban local trains will be air-conditioned and equipped with automatic door closure systems, announced the Railway Board among a number of key safety measures that it plans to introduce to the sub-urban rail network of Mumbai following the train accident near Mumbra railway station that claimed four lives on Monday. "We are saddened by the loss of lives and offer our sincerest condolences to the families. Effective measures are being initiated to avoid such mishaps in the future," said Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Central Railway. A retrofitment programme has been approved to upgrade the existing fleet with air-conditioning and automatic door closure systems, said officials. One of the key issues with automation of doors in non-AC trains has been little ventilation and possibility of suffocation in rush hours. The Railway Board and Integral Coach Factory (ICF) held an emergency meeting in this regard with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav to conceptualise a safer and friendlier coach for passengers. Following the talks, it was decided that the new non-AC local trains will now come equipped with three major design changes - louvred doors for ventilation, roof-ventilation units to blow in fresh air and vestibules to enable passengers to travel between coaches to decongest. "The initial prototype of this newly developed non-AC local will be completed by November and upon passing safety checks, it will be commissioned into service by January next year," said Nila. This safety initiative is in addition to the ongoing manufacture of 238 fully air-conditioned local trains for Mumbai’s sub-urban services.
