Despite being an absolute disaster the first time around, Western Railway (WR) has decided to give the Automatic Sliding Door (ASD) experiment another shot. Officials said that it will be different this time as the doors will be fully automatic, unlike the last time when the motorman had to use a lever to shut and open the door as the train halted at the platform.
The ASD experiment was conducted for the first time in March 2015 on a Churchgate-Borivali local, and was restricted to only one first-class ladies compartment fitted with such doors. By August, it was clear to the officials that the experiment was not getting them the desired results.
“Although the door was working, it being manual was throwing up challenges for us,” said an official on condition of anonymity. “For instance, the door wouldn’t open on the side on which the platform arrived or it would take too long for the door to open. Mumbaikars are used to jumping into trains as soon as they arrive so we did not get a positive response from commuters,” he added.
The proposed new system will cost around Rs 1.3 crore and is said to be fully automatic and equipped with sensors. “The new closed door will have a system that will be more sophisticated. We have sent the proposal to the Railway Board and are awaiting its approval,” said WR chief public relations officer, Ravindra Bhakar.
