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New Delhi: The Railway Ministry has decided to install automatic door closing systems in coaches of both existing and new local trains for the Mumbai Suburban network, a senior official said on Monday. This decision follows a tragic incident where four passengers died and six were injured after falling from a moving, overcrowded local train in Thane district.

Officials said that in the wake of the unfortunate incident, the Railway Minister and Railway Board officials held a detailed meeting. Following this, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has been tasked with manufacturing non-air-conditioned local trains with automatic doors for the Mumbai Suburban network.

“The first train of the new design will be ready by November 2025 and, after necessary tests and certification, it will be put into service by January 2026,” said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board.

“This is in addition to the 238 AC trains already under manufacturing for Mumbai suburban services,” he added.

Officials also stated that work is underway to redesign the existing non-AC local trains to address the issue of ventilation so they too can be fitted with automatic door closing systems.

The Railway Minister and Railway Board officials held a detailed meeting with the ICF, Chennai team on Monday, according to sources.

“The purpose was to find a practical solution to the issue of automatic door closing in non-AC local trains in Mumbai. The major issue with automatic door closing in non-AC trains is suffocation due to reduced ventilation,” a railway official explained.

Kumar stated that detailed discussions led to the decision that the new non-AC trains will undergo three major design changes to resolve the ventilation issue.

“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,” Kumar said.

Earlier on Monday, four commuters died and nine were injured after falling off two overcrowded local trains in Maharashtra’s Thane district during the morning rush hour, officials confirmed.

The incident occurred near Mumbra railway station when the trains were passing each other on a steep turn.

Chief Public Relations Officer of the Central Railway, Swapnil Nila, said the victims were travelling on the footboard of the two trains — one heading towards Kasara and the other towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai.

The commuters were reportedly hanging from the doors of the crowded trains when their backpacks brushed against each other as the trains passed in opposite directions, police said.

The guard of the train going towards Kasara alerted railway authorities about the incident. Those who fell from the trains were rushed to nearby hospitals, where four were declared dead on arrival, officials added.