With frequent cases of suicides and attempts being reported from different stations of Kolkata Metro Rail, the author- ities have decided to introduce automatic platform screen doors at all the stations.
A senior official of the metro railways said that the automatic platform screen doors will open automati- cally after the train reaches and halts at a station and will automatically close after the process of entry and exit of the passengers is com- pleted.
“This will make the rail tracks totally inaccessible and invisible to the passen- gers all the time and hence there will be absolutely no chance for suicide attempts by jumping on the tracks. Hence the delay in schedule following such suicides or suicide attempts will also be ruled out,” the official explained.
This system will be installed in all the stations of Kolkata Metro, the oldest city metro rail system in the country, con- necting the southern out- skirts of Garia to the north- ern outskirts of Dakshineswar.
Already the system of automatic platform screen doors are in place in the exist- ing and running route of East- West Metro in the city that connects Sealdah in cen- tral Kolkata to Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.
There had not been a sin- gle report of suicide or attempt to suicide in this route.