Delhi metro on Thursday received its first driver-less train manufactured in South Korea. The train consisting of 6 coaches was ferried to Mundhra port in Gujarat by sea, and thereafter brought to Delhi by road.
According to Delhi metro, the high-tech train is planned to ply on the Majlish Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7 – 58.596km) and Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden (Line 8 – 38.235km) corridors of Phase 3, that would be operational by the end of 2016.
A total of 20 six-coach Hyundai Rotem trains will have been manufactured in South Korea by the end of this year while 61 trains are being manufactured at Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bengaluru.
With the cabin for driver removed, the new driver-less trains hope to carry more passengers boasting of a capacity of 2280 commuters, 240 passengers more than the regular metro trains.
They are designed for a maximum speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph, Delhi Metro said.
The metro authorities added that, though, initially drivers would be deputed to oversee smooth operation and keep vigil, they would be gradually withdrawn to move to Unattended Train Operation (UTO).
“These new-generation trains are suitable to eventually run on UTO mode, that is, train operators will not be required to operate these trains and the Operations Control Centres (OCC) of the Delhi Metro system will directly regulate the movement of the trains,” came a statement from DMRC.
The new fleet of technologically advanced trains would be energy efficient and environmentally friendly as well owing to improved design features such as better regeneration of energy during braking, energy efficient sub systems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems.
To enhance security, CCTV cameras will be installed inside and outside the trains and the images will be directly accessed by the control centre.