Not RPF, but ‘bouncers’ to help commuters into Mumbai’s AC locals
Flagged off from Chennai,the first AC rakes arrived in Mumbai on April 5
For the very first time, Indian Railways will deploy ‘bouncers’ on platforms of air conditioned local trains for crowd management. Their job will be to ensure smooth entry and exit of passengers on Mumbai’s suburban network during peak hour rush.
Ever since the arrival news of first fully AC electrical multiple unit (EMU) rakes in Mumbai has been put up, Mumbaikars are eagerly waiting for it to become operational. The rakes are currently in the Kurla car shed.
Also, the Central Railway (CR) plans to deploy employees from the sports quota to regulate the crowd. Sources claim that a few personnel from Railway protection Force (RPF) may also be roped in.
A senior CR official was quoted saying- “The average halt of the train is 20-30 seconds. In an AC train, commuters will have to alight or board the train only when it is static. The train cannot move unless the door is closed and the door can’t be closed if the passengers hang on the footboard.”
“Till commuter habits change, the bouncers will have to be on duty for AC locals,” he added.
Meanwhile, the trial runs of the AC local are expected to be completed before monsoon.
