Mumbai Local Closed-Door Trains Soon? Central Railway Develops Ventilated Mesh Doors for Non-AC Locals Amid Rise in Accidents

For the ventilation and safety of commuters, Central Railway (CR) has developed a closed-door coach for non-AC local trains for Mumbai suburban services. This is the first such prototype attempt by the CR tested at the Kurla car shed using a Siemens-manufactured rake. This comes over a month after the accident near Mumbara railway station, where five people died and several were injured after falling from an overcrowded train. The accident occurred on June 9, 2025 where 10 to 12 people had fallen from the running local train on Central line.

Meanwhile, the CR demos the coach, which has been fitted with ventilated mesh doors by replacing the fibreglass panels. According to the Times of India report, this will be presented to the Railway Board chairman (CRB) Jaya Varma Sinha during her visit to Mumbai on Monday, August 4, 2025.

@Central_Railway prototype of an automatic door-closing system for non-air-conditioned (non-AC) local trains – developed at the Kurla car shed – has drawn a spectrum of reactions from transport experts @fpjindia@AshwiniVaishnawhttps://t.co/848GgOSoxBpic.twitter.com/POdMwKd3Fo

— Kamal Mishra (@Yourskamalk) August 3, 2025

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This is the first time that the officials experimented with closed-door technology on a non-AC local train. The demonstration follows a promise made by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to introduce such safety measures on non-AC locals after the Mumbra local train tragedy.

The current door designs uses mesh-type screens which allow airflow, CR is also evaluating the use of louvered panels. Western Railway had tried a similar concept in 2019 on three coaches, but the project was shelved due to ventilation and load challenges.