After Magenta Line, Delhi Metro's 59-Km-Long Pink Line To Go Driverless By September

Trains on the Magenta Line were the only ones running without any manual intervention or in UTO (Unattended Train Operation) mode, as of yet.

(Representative Image/Getty)

New Delhi: The Pink Line of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be taken over by driverless metro trains by the end of September, months after PM Modi flagged off country’s first-ever fully automated driverless train service on Magenta Line in December 2020.

Trains on the Magenta Line were the only ones running without any manual intervention or in UTO (Unattended Train Operation) mode, as of yet. The 38-kilometer line connects Janakpuri West with the Botanical Garden station in Noida. 

On the other hand, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), has not eliminated the position of front-cabin drivers who can assist in emergency situations. The DMRC expects to start running trains on the Mayur Vihar I-Trilokpuri stations by July 31, according to official data. The Pink Line will then operate as a single corridor, including trains running along the up-and-down sections of the 58.6-kilometer route between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar.

As a result, DMRC has set September 30 as the deadline for train operations on this Line in UTO mode to begin, according to an official communication seen by The Indian Express. While the paper only mentions UTO mode for a 1.5-kilometer section between Mayur Vihar-I and Trilokpuri, sources indicate it will gradually be implemented throughout the route.

A significant amount of automation is required in running Delhi Metro trains. Train drivers have entire control over the train, on the Red and Blue Lines, from speed to door opening and closing. The Automatic Train Protection system, on the other hand, determines the goal speed, ensuring that trains do not exceed a specified speed.

Except for the Magenta Line, the rest of the corridors are handled by the Automatic Train Operation mode, which requires drivers to press the departure command only after closing doors at each platform. In UTO's case, the central command centres, also known as Operations Control Centers, are in charge of each and every phase.