NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro has come up with the first fully automated ‘driverless train’ that will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video-conferencing on Monday. The service will be operated on the 37 km-long Magenta Line connecting Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden.
The PM will also launch a fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for travel on the 23-km-long Airport Express Line from New Delhi to Dwarka Sector 21. According to an official of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the driverless train will have six-car trains. “It will have higher acceleration, resulting in 10% increase in schedule speed and higher regeneration, leading to 20% lower energy consumption. The body of the car will be wider compared to the earlier design,” said the DMRC official.
The new-age metro train will maximise the passenger carrying space. “Around 40 more passengers can be accommodated as the driver’s cabin would be removed,” said the official. Each coach can accommodate maximum 380 passengers, which translates to 2,280 passengers on every train. “From starting, stopping, acceleration and braking to operation of doors and handling of emergencies, everything will be fully automated without any on-board staff,” the official added.
For a comfortable ride, the train is equipped with WiFi charging point, USB port facility and lumbar support/backrest near the wheelchair area. A digital route map with 37-inch programmable LCD screens with videos, graphics, animations, real-time video streaming and improved air circulation have also been arranged for an improved ride experience.
New driverless train to reduce noise pollution
Improv ed floor design with high-density ceramic wool insulation has been installed to reduce noise pollution, officials said. For an aesthetic look, the train cars are designed with an aerodynamic front profile with wide windscreen glass and front evacuation arrangement. The new driverless train will have aesthetically designed energy- efficient LED headlights and marker lights, ceramiccoated aluminum interior panels with superior finish, improved floor covering and wheelchair markings on floor and colourful passenger seats for a smooth travel.
A two-way communication between Operation Control Centre and the train has been provided. The live streaming from CCTV system installed inside the car will be monitored from OCC. An obstruction deflection device is installed to push away small obstructions on track to avoid derailment. The Delhi Metro had started full signalling trials of the driverless trains in September 2017 on the Pink Line, which was yet to be commissioned back then.
It will be the first time when commuters will be able to use the card on any corridor of the Delhi Metro, an official said. The PM had launched the indigenously- developed NCMC in March 2019 to enable people to pay multiple kinds of transport charges across the country. Dubbed as ‘One Nation One Card’, the inter-operable transport card allows holders to also pay for their bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and also withdraw money.