After the Mumbai local train accident in which at least four persons died and nine others were injured after they fell on the railway track, the Railways on Monday decided to introduce new non-AC local trains in Mumbai with improved ventilation by January 2026.

The Railways has approved a new design for non-AC local trains in Mumbai with automatic doors and these trains will be put into service by January 2026.

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Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, told The Statesman that “The first train of this new design will be ready by November 2025 and after necessary tests and certification, it will be put into service by January 2026. “This is in addition to the 238 AC trains being manufactured for Mumbai suburban services,” Kumar added.

According to the Ministry of Railways, in the wake of the sad incident today in Mumbai, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Railway Board officials had a detailed meeting with the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) team.

The purpose was to find a practical solution to the issue of automatic door closing in local non-AC trains in Mumbai. The major issue with automatic door closing in non-AC trains is suffocation because of reduced ventilation.

“After detailed discussions, it was decided that new non-AC trains will be designed and manufactured where the key issue of ventilation will be resolved using three design changes– First, the doors will have louvres.

Second, coaches will have roof-mounted ventilation units to pump in fresh air. And third, the coaches will have vestibules so that passengers can move from one coach to another and balance out the crowd in a natural way,” the Ministry said.