What Mumbai can learn from West Bengal restarting local trains

A coach in an Eastern Railway train in West Bengal with stickers to ensure alternate seating

A day before local trains on the Sealdah and Howrah divisions opened, the Eastern Railway said on Tuesday that they have taken some unprecedented measures like cross-marking seats to allow alternate seating, thorough sanitisation of all train coaches and intensive cleanliness drives on platforms, trains, tracks, etc. This is besides the colour-coded ticketing app developed in co-ordination with the West Bengal government to limit crowds.

Officials said seat markings, etc. will only prove to be cosmetic in Mumbai given the dense crush load, but they were working on ways to improve passenger safety. To start with, they have restored 88 per cent services.

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A senior divisional official said while Mumbai trains will be intensively sanitised, various experiments are being discussed to make locals safer before they are opened to the public. One is to pump in fresh air. All Mumbai local trains have powerful blowers, which could be further conditioned well.

Another method experimented by the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala, is design improvements to include plasma air ionization systems, hands-free amenities, copper-coated handrails, and titanium dioxide coating for a safe passenger journey. Copper has anti-microbial properties.

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However, the official warned that these methodologies would have very limited benefits, and the real need was to limit crowds for which a proper mechanism needs to be worked out.

"A passenger cap and development of technological solutions as discussed with the state government, so that crowds are streamlined, will prove to be the only solution to reopen services," an official added.

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