The driver-less metro will ply on sections of Phase-III

India’s first driver-less metro train arrived in the Capital on Thursday.

The six-coach train, which has advanced features like increased speed, USB slots and larger capacity, was ferried to India from Changwon in South Korea. The train will ply on sections of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) Phase-III, set to be operational by the end of 2016.

The new generation train, which is a part of a 20-set consignment, will be suitable to eventually run on UTO (unattended train operation) mode.

“UTO simply means that train operators will not be required to operate these trains and the Operations Control Centre (OCC) of the Delhi metro system will directly regulate the movement of the trains. Initially, train operators will be deputed for operation. They will be gradually withdrawn to move to UTO,” said a DMRC spokesperson.

The six-coach train arrived at Gujarat’s Mundra port and was brought by road to Delhi on especially-made trailers. The remaining trains too are being manufactured by Hyundai Rotem and will be ready by the end of this year, informed officials.

“However, 61 trains are being manufactured at the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) plant in Bengaluru,” they added.

These trains will run on the 58 km-long Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7) and the over 38 km-long Janakpuri (West)-Botanical Garden (Line 8) corridors of Phase-III. According to the DMRC, the new trains have undergone significant technological as well as eco-friendly upgrades, and many additional features have been added to increase passenger comfort.

“They are designed for a maximum speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph. They will also have an average speed of higher than 35 kmph, whereas the present rolling stock can be run on an average speed of 32 kmph. Each coach can accommodate a maximum of 380 passengers, which translates to 2,280 passengers in each train set of six coaches.”

The cabin-less trains will be able to accommodate 40 more commuters as the driver’s cabin will not be required. As per the incremental improvements in the rolling stock, the display inside the trains will be clearer and sharper. Each coach is fitted with four 18.5 inch LCD screens to run audio-visuals messages and commercials.

Explaining the train’s energy efficiency, officials said: “These trains will be more energy efficient than the earlier trains of the Delhi Metro due to improved design features like better regeneration of energy during braking, energy efficient sub-systems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems.”

Besides, the new trains will have 67 per cent traction (four motorised cars and two trailer cars) compared to the traction of 50 per cent in the existing stock. This feature will help improve the scheduled train speed due to better acceleration and de-acceleration. This will result in saving of journey time as well as superior energy efficiency.

It also has on-board CCTV cameras for inside and outside view of the train. The CCTV images can be directly accessed by the control centre in the driverless mode.

“Dynamic Route Maps (DRM) have been installed on each door coving panel to let passenger know their journey status. In addition to the existing 230V AC charging sockets, USB slots have also been provided for mobile charging,” said the DMRC.