India’s first driverless metro train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated via video conferencing India’s first ever driverless train on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line on Monday. The service connects the national capital region of Janakpuri  West to Botanical Garden in Noida along with fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi said that the inauguration of the first driverless metro train shows how fast the country is moving towards smart systems.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh also attended the virtual inauguration.

About India’s driverless train

• The first ‘driverless’ train in the country will roll out on the 37-km long Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro.
• The driverless train will be fully automated with no possibility of human error.
• The timings and instructions will be fed into the system with routine checks of 10 minutes.
• The extension of this technology to the Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) will increase the driverless network of the Delhi Metro.
• The ‘driverless’ trains will have six coaches for the accommodation of 2,280 passengers on each train.
• It will be equipped with several advanced features such as better regeneration of energy during braking and energy-efficient subsystems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems.
• The cabin-less trains would be able to accommodate extra of 40 commuters.
• With this, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will enter the elite league of 7% of the world’s Metro networks, which can operate without drivers.