CHENNAI: The prototype of the 15-car non-AC automatic door EMU trains for Mumbai suburban service will be rolled out from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) by April.
"We are currently manufacturing one rake each for Western Railway and Central Railway (Mumbai comes under both zones), where the passenger footfall is comparatively higher.
The design process is completed, and the shell is being manufactured now. The trains will be the prototype version; after these trains are operational, more trains will be manufactured according to the response," said a senior ICF official.
As the ventilation is closed because the trains are non-AC, special arrangements have been made, said the official. “We will know the operational difficulties and merits of the new facility only after the trains are operational.
The control of the automatic doors will be with the loco pilot," the official said.
The automatic door EMU trains were planned after four passengers were killed and six were injured after they fell from an overcrowded local train in Mumbai in June 2025.
Meanwhile, the first Gati Shakti freight train (earlier known as Vande freight train) in the country is ready for rollout from ICF by March, the official added. The freight train, which is the freight version of the popular Vande Bharat passenger trains, will be able to run at a speed of 130 kmph.
Earlier, the trains were scheduled to be rolled out by November 2025. However, it was delayed, and it is now expected to be out after a three-month delay.