With the introduction of the country’s first-ever driverless metro train services, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has marked a significant development in the technological field. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the driverless metro operations in a virtual inauguration ceremony and said in his address that metro train services will be spread to 25 cities with a network of over 1700 kilometers by the year 2025 in the country.
Check out 10 notable pointers about the first-ever driverless metro train:
- The driverless metro services have been flagged-off on the 38-kilometer long Magenta Line, connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden.
- With the introduction of driverless metro trains, India has become one of the few countries in the world where such a service is available.
- Five driverless trains will be put to use on the initial basis, and more will be deployed in near future.
(Image Source: DMRC Twitter) - The driverless trains will be fully automated, eliminating the possibility of human error and offering more safety and reliability for the commuters.
- As per the above-mentioned pointer, the number of trains in service can be dynamically altered depending on the demand, irrespective of the availability of crew.
- The driver-less metro trains are fitted with advanced cameras to ensure the safety of passengers.
- Each of the six coaches of the newly launched driverless train has four Passenger Alert Device or PAD buttons, making it a total of 24 such alarm devices.
(Image Source: DMRC Twitter) - Unlike the emergency mechanism in the conventional metro trains, after pressing the PAD button in the driverless metro trains, the video footage of the respective coach will be sent to the operations control room in order to take the necessary actions.
- Another technological advancement in the driverless metro trains is the presence of an Obstruction Detection Device (ODD). This ODD is installed beneath the main coach on the side facing the tracks. With the help of this equipment, big obstacles can be sensed via a sensor, and the train can then be stopped. If the obstacle is very small in size, the device can even remove and clear the way for the train.
- After being launched on the Magenta Line, driverless metro services will be started on the DMRC’s Pink Line connecting Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar by mid-2021.
