Delhi Metro’s Pink Line will have driverless trains soon | Fusion - WeRIndia

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC) decided to start driverless train operations soon on its Pink Line. Pink Line, the longest metro route, covers a 58 km distance.

As per sources, DMRC will start driverless trains on the Pink Line by the end of this year. Officials completed signalling work for this. This new signalling technology will have Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) to coordinate between trains coming from various directions.

Any unattended train operations (UTO) will be examined by the commissioner of metro rail safety (CMRS) this week. Driverless operations will start only after that. The process is likely to begin by the end of the year 2021.

In the initial stage, the metro driverless operations will be covered in five stations. These five stations are Punjabi Bagh West, ESI Hospital, Shakurpur, Rajouri Garden, and Mayapuri.

Currently, DMRC operates driverless services on its Magenta Line that covers 37 km. It connects Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden metro stations. Magenta Line is the first driverless corridor of Delhi Metro. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off its operations last year.

The DMRC wants to shift to UTO mode gradually. It plans to operate its trains automatically, which only need little or no physical intervention with frequent monitoring.

Earlier, the Pink Line operated as two different sections due to a missing link. However, it was bridged in August to begin uninterrupted train movement on the entire corridor.

With the rolling out of driverless operations on its Pink Line, the total driverless network of DMRC will stand at nearly 96 km. It equals 9 per cent of the world’s total driverless Metro network.

The DMRC will also connect the Maujpur-Majlis Park extension by 2023. The distance covers 12.5 km. With this, it will cross the 100 km mark.

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