The change will be implemented in the new batch of 72 advanced trains, to be put into service on the city’s local railway system from December 2013 onwards.
A potential security hazard, flaw in the screw design of the door panels installed in the high-tension compartments (HTC) of the violet Siemens trains, which were procured under the prestigious Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), has prompted the railways to look for a stronger design.
The change will be implemented in the new batch of 72 advanced trains, to be put into service on the city’s local railway system from December 2013 onwards.
The decision was taken after a probe by the commissioner for railway safety (CRS), Central Circle, in the November railway mishap revealed that the flawed screw design of the door panel in the new rakes rendered them incapable of sustaining high force and vulnerable to accidents.
While chief Central Railway (CR) spokesperson VA Malegaonkar confirmed the information, saying the administration was working with the Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, for implementing the changes, a senior CR official said on the condition of anonymity, “The new trains were supposed to have the same exterior body design as the existing Siemens rakes. However, after the initial CRS report, the administration wants to fix the problem by bolting the door panel from inside, apart from considering stronger design options for the panel screws in the next batch of 72 rakes—four to be inducted every month—from December 2013.”
Another railway official involved in planning and conceptualisation of various MUTP projects, said, “They will likely have stronger screw-bolt system or the nut-bolt will be welding to the interior of the HTCs in the 72 new rakes. The maintenance aspect will be taken care of by creating an opening from the passenger compartment adjacent to the HTC, so that the personnel don’t have to open the door panels as now.”
The new trains will also have a different colour scheme, which is being prepared by the NID, Ahmedabad.
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