Delhi Metro may have become the first in the country to launch driverless technology for its new 38.2 km of Magenta Line on Monday. Fact, however, is that Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) was the first metro in the country to have opted for most advanced Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system which enables the metro trains to be run without drivers.
“We brought CBTC technology for the first time to the country when the project took off with in-built Automatic Train Control (ATC), Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and Automatic Train Protection (ATP). It allows for running more trains at greater frequency and also run them without any driver,” explained HMR managing director N.V.S. Reddy.
Thales Group of France supplied SelTrac CBTC technology where trains can be run in ATO eventually every 90 seconds. “With software tweaks, we can also run driverless trains but the infrastructure needs to be upgraded in stations with platform screen doors to be installed to align the metro train coach doors with them. This will prevent free access of passengers to the railway tracks,” he said.
It is to prevent passengers from falling accidentally or otherwise slip onto the track just before the train is arriving into the station. “We have been fortunate not to have such incidents but there have been cases in Delhi where people tried to jump onto tracks even as the train was charging in. Having a driver inside the cabin allows a chance, even if a slim one, to save lives by slamming brakes as it is a touch-and-go affair,” said Mr. Reddy.
“The role of a metro train pilot inside the cabin is limited to opening or closing of doors, braking option in case of any emergency and keep a watch on the track and train movement,” informed the MD. Driverless rail systems are operational in Japan, Europe and other such places.
Current metro rail services run across 66 km in three corridors — L.B. Nagar to Miyapur (Red Line), MGBS to JBS (Green Line) and Nagole to Miyapur (Blue Line) — and are remotely controlled through the Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Uppal depot with a back up centre and a display panel indicating trains’ movement on all the corridors.
Kochi, Chennai and the latest metro rails under construction in different parts of the country also opted for CBTC technology while initial phases of Delhi Metro was not built on this platform. Hyderabad Metro after being locked up during the pandemic lockdown from March to August, began operations from September 8 and is carrying about 1.70 lakh passengers on weekdays with 4 to 6 minutes frequency during peak hours and 7 to 8 minutes during non-peak hours, he added.
