After the deadly train accident near Mumbra on June 9, where four passengers lost their lives and ten were injured, the Central Railway has started urgent safety upgrades.
The incident involved riders who were standing on the footboards of two packed local trains. They fell when the trains crossed each other on a curved section of the track.
In response, Central Railway (CR) will install new grab handles near the doors of its Siemens-manufactured trains. These handles will be fixed to horizontal rods hanging from the ceiling, just behind the doors. The plan is to make standing on footboards slightly safer by giving passengers something to hold onto. The total cost of the project is estimated at INR 2.40 crore.
Siemens trains form the bulk of CR’s local train fleet. Out of 163 trains on the Main and Harbour Lines, 113 are made by Siemens. The rest are built by Medha, Bombardier, and BHEL. These other models already have similar handles installed.
In addition, some older trains are also in service. These are upgraded to handle the newer 25,000-volt AC power system.
CR runs 138 of its 163 trains daily, transporting around 39-40 lakh passengers. The new grab handles will be added to all Siemens trains. Each door will get four to six extra handles. A new rod will be installed to attach these grips.
Siemens trains were introduced in 2007 and 2008. Trials for these new handles were conducted at the Sanpada workshop. After testing their practicality, CR decided to go ahead with full installation.
Tenders have already been issued, and the full project will take around two years to complete. Following the Mumbra accident, the Railway Board also announced that all new local trains built for Mumbai’s suburban network will include automatic door-closing systems.
The board also plans to modify existing rakes to add doors that close automatically. Until then, the added grab grips will provide temporary safety support for those who stand on footboards.
In a separate move to reduce congestion, CR is taking strict action against ticketless travel. On Monday morning, June 16, 55 ticket checkers and seven Railway Protection Force members checked First Class compartments during peak hours. They caught 106 commuters without valid tickets and collected INR 33,575 in fines.