Mumbai: All newly manufactured local trains will be equipped with automatic door closing systems to enhance passenger safety, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday in Mumbai.

The Minister was speaking to the media on the occasion of a breakthrough in a 4.8 km tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.

Highlighting the importance of Mumbai’s suburban rail network, which is often referred to as the city’s lifeline, Vaishnaw said, “In view of passenger safety, we are working to install automatic door closers on all local trains.” He added that efforts are underway to retrofit existing local trains with the automatic door closing system.

“In the future, all newly built non-AC local trains will come with provisions for automatic door closers,” he confirmed. He also noted that all AC local trains already feature this system.

The Minister further stated that the tendering process to procure 238 new AC local trains for Mumbai has already been initiated. “Soon, the face of Mumbai’s suburban rail network will be completely transformed,” he said.

“The move is expected to significantly improve passenger safety and convenience, particularly during peak hours when overcrowding can lead to accidents related to open train doors” said an official.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has strongly condemned BJP leader and MP and Union Minister Giriraj Singh for calling Muslims as salt haram and traitors and has appealed to the secular people and Muslims to teach the BJP a lesson in the Bihar elections. He said that the way hatred against Muslims has become common in the BJP government, communalism is on the rise and the situation is so bad that BJP leaders are sowing the seeds of hatred against Muslims and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on it and does not even open his lips.
Giriraj Singh, who called Muslims traitors, should understand that government money does not belong to anyone’s father. I want to tell the Muslims of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh that Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu are supporting a government whose ministers have such hateful views about Muslims. Azmi said that the BJP government looks for an opportunity to humiliate Muslims and its hateful leaders constantly spread venom against Muslims. Nitish Rane in Maharashtra and Mumbai also spreads venom against Muslims. In such a situation, it is necessary to restrain the language of these ministers. It is because of such ministers and leaders that communalism is on the rise. Along with calling Muslims as forbidden salt, Giriraj Singh said that Muslims take advantage of government schemes and do not even vote. They are forbidden salt and traitors. On this, Azmi said that the government collects money by collecting taxes on everything, therefore government money does not belong to anyone’s father. The minister should keep this in mind.

Mumbai: Nearly a month after the first trial train coaches for Mumbai Metro Line 4 were lowered onto the tracks, trial runs on the 10.5-km Cadbury Junction–Gaimukh section in Thane are scheduled to begin on Monday.

The ceremony is expected to be attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

The commencement of trials marks the first phase of operations for the 32.3-km-long Metro Line 4, also called the Green Line, and its extension, Metro 4A. The corridor will eventually connect Wadala to Kasarvadavali via Ghatkopar, providing a crucial link between Mumbai and the eastern suburbs. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has set itself a year-end target for opening passenger services.

According to MMRDA officials, civil work on the Cadbury Junction–Gaimukh stretch is nearly complete, with final touches underway at stations and track segments. The section includes 10 stations: Cadbury Junction, Kapurbawdi, Manpada, Tikuji Ni Wadi, Dongripada, Vijay Garden, Kasarvadavali and others leading up to Gaimukh in Ghodbunder. This alignment is expected to ease travel pressure along Thane’s arterial routes, where traffic congestion has long been a challenge for commuters.

A key hurdle for the project remains the absence of a fully functional depot. The designated depot at Mogharpada is still under construction, compelling the MMRDA to adopt temporary solutions such as inspection pits beyond Gaimukh station for stabling and technical checks. Officials stressed that this arrangement is sufficient for conducting trials until the permanent depot is ready.

The project reached a milestone on August 25, when the first set of trial coaches for Line 4 was lowered onto the tracks near Anand Nagar in Thane using heavy-duty cranes. While these trial coaches are meant primarily for testing, they have been built to the same dimensions as the final rolling stock. In February, the contract for Line 4’s rolling stock was awarded to a joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and Alstom.

The Thane stretch is one of the busiest transit zones in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and the Metro 4 corridor is being seen as a critical addition to reduce road congestion and provide commuters with a reliable, fast alternative. Once fully operational, the line is expected to transform connectivity between Mumbai, Thane, and the eastern suburbs.