As a Mumbaikar, it’s hard to imagine life without the Mumbai local train. Whether it’s a daily commute or an occasional trip to avoid traffic jams, these trains are truly the backbone of the city. They serve lakhs of passengers each day, making it easier for people to travel long distances for work. Recently, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the Central government has approved the plans to upgrade all the coaches of Mumbai’s suburban trains to air-conditioned models with automatic doors. An official announcement from Indian Railways will be out soon.
This significant move has been made following a tragic incident in Mumbra, where five commuters tragically lost their lives due to overcrowded trains colliding at the station on June 9. In response to this event, CM Fadnavis announced plans to urge the central government to implement automatic doors in suburban railway coaches, aiming to avert such accidents in the future. CM Fadnavis clarified that these doors would be included in newly designed air-conditioned coaches rather than retrofitted on existing ones, also assuring that there won’t be an increase in fares.
Mumbai Locals Will Get Metro-Style Air-Conditioned Coaches
Navigating the overcrowded local trains has been a constant issue for residents of Mumbai, causing challenges that have escalated concerns across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Recent discussions in the state assembly highlighted this matter, with state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik suggesting the formation of a special task force to investigate staggered office hours for private companies, helping alleviate the congestion during peak commuting times. In his report, Pratap Sarnaik noted that in the past three years alone, 7,565 commuters have lost their lives and another 7,293 sustained injuries while using local trains.
CM Fadnavis pointed out the dangers associated with the current doorless coaches, attributing the frequent accidents to overcrowding that forces passengers into perilous situations. CM Fadnavis emphasized the stark contrast between commuters who travel comfortably in metros and those who face hazardous conditions in local trains, stating that this divide must be addressed. To tackle this issue, Mumbai is set to introduce metro-style air-conditioned coaches into its suburban railway system.
