After Mumbai tragedy, ICF to roll out two non-AC EMUs with auto doors by November
CHENNAI: After remaining only on paper for two decades due to ventilation concerns, Indian Railways has finally decided to study the implementation of automatic doors in non-AC local trains. The move comes close on the heels of the tragic incident in Mumbai on Monday in which six commuters from suburban trains were killed.
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), which is working on rolling out two non-AC Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains with automatic doors for deployment in Mumbai, will adopt roof-mounted ventilation and louvered doors to overcome the ventilation problem.
Officials said if the initiative proves successful, the railways may scale up production of these rakes in the coming years and introduce them in Chennai's suburban network as well.
The demand for automatic doors in suburban trains is repeatedly raised whenever passenger fatality occurs in the Mumbai or Chennai suburban network due to overcrowding and footboard travel, but it has never gained traction.
For over two decades, a section of railway engineers had consistently dismissed these proposals, citing concerns over passenger discomfort and potential risks of suffocation due to inadequate airflow in densely packed coaches, said sources.
In July 2018, in two different incidents, seven passengers who travelled hanging on the footboards of local trains on the Chennai-Tambaram route were killed after striking a concrete wall at the St Thomas Mount station. Following an investigation, the then commissioner of Railway Safety dismissed the possibility of installing automatic doors in non-AC local trains, citing concerns over inadequate air circulation.
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