The first-class ladies compartment of rake number 2273 was under the scanner as it stood at Churchgate’s platform number 2.
The first-class ladies compartment of rake number 2273 was under the scanner as it stood at Churchgate’s platform number 2. The train was about to make its first journey to Borivali with the automatic-closed doors, an experimental initiative to curb the number of deaths caused due to commuters travelling on footboards.
A mix of wonder and confusion was seen among the first women commuters who got into the automatic closed-door rake that ran on the Western Railway (WR) as part of the regular service, with some women getting off the train because they weren’t sure of it and some left thinking that the initiative is a step-up by the railways.
Women such as Ashwini Patil, a student of Hinduja College, were left confused when one door at Churchgate station was shut. “I saw that only one door was open so I got a little confused. I got off that compartment and headed to the next one since I didn’t know whether the door on the left would open at Elphinstone Road station or not,” she said.
Vile Parle resident Neha Naharia (27) said that she did not know about the experiment, but thought it was a great initiative since so many people get hurt or even die while hanging off the footboards. She said, “I think its great because we all are aware of how many accidents take place due to the tendency of people hanging out of the trains at footboards, but we will have to see how it will work out during peak hours.”
However, raising concerns about potential suffocation, commuters like Borivali resident Sudhita Chodankar said, “Right now there are only four of us in the compartment and I already feel stuffy. So my only concern is how it would be during the summer, which has already started in the city.”
General manager Sunil Kumar Sood, who currently holds the additional charge of WR and is the man behind the closed-door experiment, said that commuter demands of a grab-pole will soon be fulfilled.
“I have got the feedback that commuters want a grab-pole that usually is placed in the centre of the entrance, which will be placed in the rake in the coming week or so,” he said.
Mr Sood has asked the women commuters to approach WR officials and the media to provide their feedback. “We want the commuters to come up to us and tell us how we can improve the closed-door. This is an experiment and if we get the people’s opinion through media or if it is communicated to our staff we will be able to improve it,” he added.
