Mumbai's first non-AC automatic-door local train arrives for safety trials, here's what changes

MUMBAI: Mumbai's first non-AC local train with automatic doors has arrived in the city, nearly a year and a half after the Mumbra train accident brought the safety of open-door suburban travel under renewed scrutiny.

The 12-coach rake will now undergo trials on different sections of the Mumbai suburban network before Central Railway decides on its introduction into passenger services.

The move follows the June 9, 2025, accident between Diva and Mumbra stations, in which five commuters died and nine others fell from a moving train.

A five-member committee constituted to examine the incident identified overcrowding and open doors as key contributing factors and recommended introducing closed-door systems similar to those used in Metro trains.

Following the accident, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced plans to introduce non-AC local trains with automatic doors in Mumbai, with an initial target of operationalising them by 2026. However, with the year nearing its end, the project remains at the trial stage.