Faulty door bolts in Mumbai local trains: A disaster waiting to happen?

The sixinch unseen bolt that holds the doors of Mumbairsquos trains in place is one of the most crucial yet overlooked pieces of hardware on the suburban network A midday audit covering the three railway lines of the city has found that these mechanisms were jammed broken or missing altogether in many of the citys local trains especially on Central Railwayrsquos CR Mumbai sectionCoach No 2197BStatus Bolt missingThe problem is more acute with CR as it has a fleet of 113 older trains compared to just 12 on Western Railway WR In 2025 alone 525 lives were lost due to falling from trains and as many as 1188 commuters were injured in such mishapsCoach No 2072AStatus Bolt hole not matchingHow doors are securedFour types of trains are operated on the Mumbai suburban network The older Siemensmake procured under phase 1 of the World Bankfunded Mumbai Urban Transport Project MUTP the Bombardier and Medha ones procured under phase 2 and the BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited ones which are mostly the AC trainsCoach No 2071AStatus Bolt missingIt is the locks of the first three categories of trains that are important as they run with open doors Among them it is usually on older Siemens trains that lsquofaultyrsquo bolts can be found The other two mdash Bombardier and Medha mdash have more modern safety locksCoach No 2071BStatus Bolt parts missingThe hyperboltCoach No 1134A Status Bolt parts brokenThere is a ray of hope mdash bolt design has changed for the better with newgeneration trains having an antibounce safety latch with a curved metal plate at the top where pushed doors get locked This is in addition to a round cylindrical door stopper in the middle which replaces the older mechanical triangular metal handleCoach No 2251BStatus Bolt parts missingThe mechanicsOlder Siemens trains have mechanical springloaded door bolt latches with small levers Since these are put to heavy use and suffer massive wear and tear they need to be maintained well But in most trains they have either fallen off jammed or do not fit the door frame due to poor workmanshipCoach No 2157BStatus Bolt missingOwing to poor maintenance these are not in the best condition In addition to this bolt at the top of the door there is a sliding bolt in the middle of the door which is a triangular metal handle pushed sideways that secures the door frame mechanicallyOfficial SpeakCoach No 2205BStatus Bolt broken and parts missingWR officials said they would ensure that all faults are fixed in a timebound manner CR officials said door bolts are routinely inspected ldquoAny damaged or loose bolt is replaced during checks at car sheds Instructions have also been issued to maintenance staff to ensure the fittings remain in proper conditionrdquo an official saidCoach No 2071AStatus Bolt broken and falling offmiddayrsquos findingsA physical audit on all three lines in Mumbai found that these bolts are illmaintained in most trains broken in many or even missing in a large number of trains putting Mumbai commutersrsquo lives at perilCoach No 2071A first classStatus Bolt brokenCommuter VoicesSiddhesh Desai vicepresident Mumbai Rail Pravasi SanghlsquoThe poor condition of doors in Mumbai local trains mdash with broken locks loose rods and damaged handles mdash is a serious safety concern In overcrowded trains commuters are forced to stand at the doors and due to these faulty unlocked doors they lack proper support This significantly increases the risk of passengers losing balance and falling from moving trains Neglected door maintenance has become one of the root causes of railway accidents and requires urgent attention from the authoritiesrsquoUttam Ghosh commuterlsquoThese are all design issues which are usually not given serious thought In this case I am sure the railway engineers also did the same For example how big a nail one needs to drill into a wall to hang a photo framersquoBharat Soni commuter activistlsquoThis is a disaster waiting to happen Millions of commuters are expected to travel safely yet the doors of nonAC local trains still depend on such flimsy outdated mechanisms These locks fail without warning mdash doors swing open or give way endangering passengers This is sheer negligence How many more close calls before this is taken seriously Replace these weak unsafe locks with robust failsafe systems immediately Passenger safety cannot be compromisedrsquo