Mumbai Local News: CCTV cameras outside train coaches for passenger safety

The Central Railway (CR) has decided to install CCTV cameras outside the motor cabins of Mumbai local trains to accurately determine the causes and analyze accidents occurring in front of the cabins.

CCTV cameras have already been installed outside the cabins of half of the local trains in the Central Railway's fleet. The installation of cameras on the remaining cabins is underway.

This information came to light after railway information rights activist Sameer Zaveri sought details from the Central Railway regarding the project to install CCTV cameras outside the local train motor cabins.

Currently, in cases of suicides on the tracks, obstacles on the tracks, or accidents involving the front of the local train, the only options for determining the exact cause are the motor driver's statement and eyewitness accounts.

Often, discrepancies are found in these accounts. Therefore, to obtain concrete evidence and understand the precise cause, the Central Railway administration has decided to install high-quality CCTV cameras outside the local train cabins to monitor the railway tracks and surrounding area.

The Central Railway fleet comprises 162 local trains with 12 coaches each and two trains with 15 coaches each, totaling 164 local trains. Of these, CCTV cameras have been installed and are operational outside 161 motor cabins.

The process of installing cameras outside 163 motor cabins is underway, according to the information obtained through the Right to Information Act. The CCTV footage will make post-accident investigations more transparent and accurate.

It will provide concrete evidence regarding whether the accident was due to the motor driver's fault or an external cause, whether there was any obstruction on the tracks, or if there was a signal or other technical malfunction.

This will help protect motor drivers from false accusations. Meanwhile, several types of accidents have occurred on local train routes in the past.

These include deaths due to suicide on the railway tracks, deaths in collisions with local trains, or train derailments. The railways have taken this important step of installing CCTV cameras to ensure that in case of a local train accident due to any such reason, accurate information is obtained, and the motorman is not held guilty without any evidence.