Mumbai Hardlook: The unfulfilled promise of automatic doors on local trains

The long history of demands for shuttered trains

The first push towards automatic doors came in July 2014, when the Rail Ministry announced a pilot project to test door-closing mechanisms on suburban coaches. Two months later, in September, railway officials conducted a static demonstration on a modified coach at a suburban workshop. In March 2015, automatic doors were installed on a ladies’ coach, with authorities then saying live trials would follow if the system performed reliably.

The issue resurfaced in December 2019, when Western Railway declared that a controlled trial would be carried out on select coaches of a 15-coach rake. But, like earlier attempts, the experiment never progressed to full-scale implementation. The announcements gained fresh urgency after the Mumbra accident and were reiterated by both the Railway Board and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The persistent demand for closed doors stems from Mumbai’s grim record of fall-related fatalities. Between January 2014 and May 2025, 6,760 commuters died after falling from overcrowded non-AC locals, according to Government Railway Police and RTI data. Another 14,257 were injured in similar incidents. These deaths occur almost exclusively on non-AC trains that run with open doors and face severe peak-hour crowding. AC locals, equipped with automatic doors and regulated entry, record no fall-off deaths.

How earlier experiments fared

Over the past decade, both Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) have attempted to retrofit automatic door systems onto Mumbai’s non-AC suburban locals, with little success. WR carried out its most extensive experiment in 2016–17, after the Railway Board authorised the installation of an automatic door-closing (ADC) system on one EMU unit at the Mahalaxmi Workshop. The system, supplied by German manufacturer Knorr-Bremse, was fitted onto one motor coach and two trailer coaches.

By 2021, after multiple trial runs under peak and off-peak conditions, WR headquarters submitted its final evaluation. The conclusions were unequivocal.

The HQ report noted that door opening and closing times routinely exceeded the brief halt durations of Mumbai suburban trains, which typically range from 30 seconds to a minute. During peak hours — when doorway crowding is the norm — sensors repeatedly detected obstructions, preventing the doors from shutting. This led to prolonged dwell times and made adherence to the timetable impossible.

“Our trials showed that retrofitting automatic doors on non-AC rakes faces fundamental operational and safety challenges,” a senior Western Railway official said. “Even with the best systems, crowding and short station halts make reliable door operation unworkable. Passenger safety cannot be compromised. Until we move to fully AC, vestibuled rakes, automatic doors on existing trains remain unfeasible.”

The report also flagged a critical ventilation risk. Non-AC rakes lack pressurised or mechanically circulated air, and sealing the doors trapped exhaled air inside. During peak-hour trials, CO₂ levels rose to 2,150 ppm — more than triple the permissible limit of 700 ppm. Engineers warned that sealed-door operation on non-vestibuled, non-AC coaches could cause fatigue, suffocation and medical emergencies during crowded services.

The HQ memo ultimately concluded that retrofitting automatic doors onto existing non-AC rakes “is not suggested”, adding that such systems can be deployed only on fully air-conditioned, vestibuled suburban trains.

CR’s 2025 experiment, which used a lighter electro-pneumatic door design, yielded nearly identical results. Door motors overheated under continuous obstruction detection, sensors frequently failed and triggered “bypass mode”, and timetable disruptions increased. The trials confirmed the same operational and safety limitations that WR had documented years earlier.

However, both CR and WR remain non-committal about when the new rakes will actually be functional in the city.

“Automatic doors will be running after ICF Chennai designs and delivers the rakes. The situation will become clear once the rakes are received,” said Dr Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway.

Western Railway did not offer an official comment. However, a senior WR official, on condition of anonymity, said, “The zone has not conducted any trial runs or worked on any prototype since the announcement, making it difficult to comment at this stage.”

Are automatic doors on non-AC trains viable?

A key constraint is the sheer passenger load on Mumbai’s suburban network. Central Railway carries 3.8 – 3.9 million passengers daily, while Western Railway moves another 3 million — most of them in non-AC, open-door local trains. Station halts last just 30–60 seconds, and peak-hour headways shrink to 2–3 minutes, leaving virtually no operational buffer for door-closing cycles.

On paper, the case for automatic doors is compelling. The 2015 Rising Trend of Accidental Deaths Committee found that sealed-door operation could significantly reduce fall-related fatalities — but only if the suburban coaches were fundamentally redesigned for Mumbai’s peak-hour crowding. The committee recommended removing 24 seats per trailer coach to create space for 224 additional standing passengers, widening internal circulation paths, and eliminating footholds near the doors. It noted that previous attempts had “failed miserably” because interiors were never reconfigured for a sealed-door environment.

“Automatic doors on non-AC coaches aren’t just a technical challenge; they’re a serious safety risk unless the entire coach layout, ventilation and passenger flow are redesigned,” said Dr Sarosh Mehta, an orthopaedic surgeon-turned-railway activist. “In peak hours, each non-AC coach carries 250 to 300 passengers, and CO₂ levels can cross 2,000 ppm when doors are sealed. Without structural changes, automatic doors could create more hazards than they solve.”

Prototype trials have repeatedly underscored these limitations. During WR’s retrofit experiment, CO₂ levels inside sealed non-AC coaches climbed past 2,000 ppm — nearly three times the permissible threshold. With peak-hour loads routinely exceeding 250–300 passengers per coach, the system simply cannot clear doorways fast enough to allow safe, consistent door closing within Mumbai’s short station halts.

Officials maintain that sealed doors are not viable on the existing non-AC fleet unless the entire architecture — ventilation, coach layout and internal capacity — is overhauled.

“Even if the system worked flawlessly, opening a door takes around 10 seconds and closing takes 20. Across a full run with multiple halts, that adds up to nearly 14 extra minutes. Given passenger behaviour, which often ignores boarding rules, automatic doors on non-AC trains were never going to be viable,” a senior Central Railway official said.

AC trains: the only viable path

The only viable alternative now appears to be converting Mumbai’s suburban fleet into fully air-conditioned, sealed-door trains. This process is being initiated through a major procurement under MUTP-3, which includes 238 new AC rakes ordered exclusively for Mumbai. Officials say deliveries will begin in 2028 and continue through 2031–32.

This timeline also coincides with the phase-out of Mumbai’s ageing non-AC fleet. Most Siemens rakes on Central and Western Railway will reach the end of their 25-year lifespan around 2030, meaning non-AC locals will be retired gradually as AC rakes enter service.

“As fitting automatic doors on non-AC trains is not viable, the only solution is to convert the entire fleet into AC rakes. The 238 new trains arriving between 2028 and 2032 will resolve the door-safety issue entirely. It’s premature to comment on fares, though the Hon’ble Chief Minister has indicated subsidies may be considered,” said a senior Central Railway official.

But this solution brings a new challenge — affordability.

A short to medium-distance non-AC ticket costs Rs 15–20 (Rs 15 from CSMT to Kalyan; Rs 20 from Churchgate to Virar). The equivalent AC fare is Rs 105 and Rs 115, respectively. The gap is even wider for monthly passes: a non-AC monthly pass between CSMT and Kalyan costs Rs 315, while the AC version costs Rs 2,135.

“I earn barely Rs 600 a day. If I have to pay Rs 35 for a single AC ride, I can’t even afford two trips. How are people like me supposed to survive if all locals become AC?” said Ramesh Kumar, a construction worker commuting from Thane to CST.

Students echo similar concerns. “Even if AC trains are safer, I can’t switch because my monthly pass would cost more than my tuition for a subject. Safety shouldn’t come at the cost of basic affordability,” said Anil Patil, who travels from Kalyan to CST for college.

The concerns have been serious enough for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to state that the government may consider fare subsidies for AC locals, while reiterating the commitment to a fully air-conditioned suburban fleet.

The shift to AC trains may finally end fall-related deaths and close a decade-long chapter of failed door-automation trials. But unless fare reforms keep pace, Mumbai’s next suburban crisis may well be about the affordability of its daily commute.