Thane tragedy: Railways to install automatic doors on all Mumbai local trains

New Delhi: In the wake of a tragic incident in Thane district that left four passengers dead and six injured after falling from an overcrowded local train, the Railway Ministry has announced a major safety upgrade for the Mumbai Suburban network. A senior official confirmed that all existing and newly manufactured local train coaches for Mumbai will now be equipped with automatic door closure systems.

Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, stated that the decision comes in direct response to the accident in Maharashtra. “The Ministry has decided that all rakes currently under manufacturing for Mumbai Suburban trains will come fitted with automatic door closing facilities,” he said. “Additionally, rakes already in service will be redesigned to incorporate this safety feature.”

Railway officials reiterated that passenger safety remains their top priority, and steps are being taken to ensure such tragedies do not recur. According to initial accounts, the accident happened between Diva and Kopar railway stations while the train was en route to Kasara. Passengers are believed to have fallen when overcrowded trains passed each other in opposite directions, causing the backpacks of commuters hanging from the footboards to brush against one another. However, the exact cause and the number of fatalities have yet to be officially confirmed by railway authorities.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the railway administration is actively investigating the incident to determine the precise cause of the accident.

With PTI inputs