India will soon receive its first fully automated driverless Metro train and will be stopped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, December 28. The announcement was made by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday evening. The train service will operate on the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro, which connects Delhi’s Janakpuri West Line with the Noida Botanical Garden Line. PM Modi will also launch a fully functioning Common National Mobility Card (NCMC) for travel on the Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro, DMRC said.
Here’s everything you need to know about India’s first driverless Metro train:
1. The tests for the train began along the 20 km stretch of the Pink Line in December 2017. The tests were equipped with signaling systems for Unattended Train Operations (UTO) and Communication-based Train Control ( CBTC).
2. Automatic trains will only be limited to Line 7 and Line 8 of the DMRC network since driverless train operation (DTO) or unattended train operation (UTO) modes can only be implemented on lines that arose under the expansion of Phase III as these corridors are equipped with advanced signage technology. The first driverless train will run on Line 7.
3. The train will be fully controlled from the three DMRC command centers, without any human intervention. Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling technology will also allow monitoring and troubleshooting of all aspects of train operations remotely and manual intervention will only be required in cases of hardware replacement.
4. At command centers, information controllers will be in charge of the passenger information system and crowd monitoring. With access to CCTV power, all rolling stock controllers will monitor train equipment in real time, download faults and other events captured by CCTV, and help traffic controllers execute commands remotely.
5. DMRC has also hired a consultant, a consortium of Systra MVA and Systra France, to inspect and review the entire system.
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