By Apurva Bhatt

From today Western Railway (WR) will run at least four trips on its suburban line with the automatic door-closing system in ladies compartments. This is for the first time that such a system has been introduced in Mumbai Suburban railway line.

Ladies commuters are excited  to hear this, “From safety point of view this is a great concept. My only worry is that its summers time and we should not feel suffocated,” remarks Sheela Sharma a commuter from Khar. Agrees Tarika Sejpal from Bandra, “We are not used to travelling in closed door, in the beginning it will be a bit different. I am excited to travel today.”

Based on the response, it will be extended to three other rakes on WR and four on Central Railway (CR) in the coming weeks. "The train will start only after the doors are closed. The doors will remain open for 25 to 30 seconds for passengers to board. A push-back feature allows opening the door for about 2 inches to release any trapped object, if the train is running," said a WR official. "There is a provision of an emergency egress device inside the coach in sealed enclosure.

The contingency measure can be used to open the door from inside in case of an emergency. If doors open in a running train, then emergency brakes will stop the train," he added.