PAC advocates automatic doors in suburban train coaches

A parliamentary committee has expressed concern over the large number of deaths of commuters in suburban rail services due to their falling off trains during peak hours and has suggested automatic doors in coaches like those in the Metro.
The Public Accounts Committee in its latest report has advocated for redesigning of the coaches with automatic doors in suburban trains on the lines of Metro coaches.
PAC headed by Congress MP K V Thomas said it was "shocked and pained" to note that even though 6,000 innocent passengers lose their precious lives and thousands of passengers are maimed every year in Mumbai suburban sections alone, railways remained as a mute spectator to the horrific scenes of such incidents.

The committee has also suggested the number of coaches to be 15 on each train in all the suburban sections.
Taking note of the deaths due to line crossings or trespassing on suburban sections, the committee has suggested for elimination of line crossings by constructing foot overbridges and also constructing boundary walls on both sides of the rail tracks to prevent mishaps.
It has also sought revision of amount of compensation keeping in view irreparable financial and emotional losses suffered by kin of deceased and disabled victims.

The committee observed the decline in number of passengers in suburban trains, mounting operational losses, high number of ticketless travellers and inadequate provision of ticket booking facilities at many suburban stations.

It has recommended railways to exploit commercial publicity potential of suburban trains to generate additional revenue.
The committee has also asked railways to hire an external agency to undertake a study of operations of railways and suggest measures to reduce operation costs at the earliest to make suburban services economically viable.
Seeking a clear distinction between suburban and non- suburban services, it has further advocated separate fund allocation for both sections.