MUMBAI: On the lines of Chennai and Delhi metros, Mumbai's only underground Metro-III corridor (Colaba--Bandra--SEEPZ) will have platform screen doors at all its 26 metro stations, while there will be a half-screen door at its one grade station. These doors will function as safety nets to thwart suicide attempts and also help avert mishaps like fall-offs from the platform to the tracks. Metro-III will be the only metro corridor in the city to have such a feature.
Besides acting as a barrier, the platform screen doors will also help in improving ventilation in the station, especially when it is located at a distance from the tunnel, according to the Metro-III authority. As the Metro Line-lll will have eight-coach rakes, for every coach, four platform screen doors will be installed.
These doors will also improve the sound quality of platform announcements as the background noise from the tunnels and trains that are entering or exiting will be reduced. The doors will also prevent littering on the tracks. Litter can prove a fire hazard in some cases.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which is the nodal agency for the Metro-III project, said these doors align with the train doors and open when the train is fully stopped at the station. Interestingly, platform screen doors are one of the most advanced technologies currently being used in metro systems worldwide.
