Ladies First – Middle First Class Compartment To Have Auto-Close Mechanism
Mumbai : The first train with automatic doors is likely to run on Western Railway (WR) this week. Work on fitting the two automated doors in the middle first class ladies’ compartment of the train has been completed at the Mahalaxmi yard and the train is expected to be on trial on the suburban network by the end of this week.
WR officials, along with France-based Faiveley Transport Company that had been assigned the job of fitting the trains with the closed door mechanism, will be travelling on the train. The officials will closely monitor the reaction of the passengers to this innovation. An official from WR, on conditions of anonymity said, “The grab poles of the coach had to be removed to fit the doors. As these poles are widely used by the commuters, especially women, to get inside the coach, their reactions will be closely monitored and the necessary changes will be made in the train accordingly.”
Over the last six months, static trials took place on Coach No. 93498, a ‘condemned’ coach which was retrofitted, wherein the opening and closing of the doors was controlled by a simulator at the Mahalaxmi yard. But automatic doors have now been installed in a Siemens Coach No. 2274A, wherein the door controls are in the hands of the train’s motorman.
If there is an obstacle between the doors, it will not close for three seconds. If it happens again, it will prevent the door from closing for another three seconds, and if it happens for the third time, then the power to the coach will automatically shut off. An official said, “We will have to ensure that the train runs during the peak hours.” But it has been observed that most accidents where people fall off trains occur during non-peak hours. “It will be good if these trains are run during the non-peak hours. Also, fitting each rake with closed doors will come at a cost of an additional Rs 4 crore, which will prove to be a costly affair,” added the official.
Iram Siddique
