When the Chennai Metro is up and running, its train operators will be screened by breathalysers. This, officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said, will be done to ensure the safety of passengers.
“We plan to screen all train operators with breathalysers before they begin a trip. Our trains have Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems, and so the role of train operators will be limited. They will only be needed to carry out basic operations and monitor travel. Despite this, we do not want to take any chances and so we are considering the idea of using breathalysers,” said a CMRL official.
The first Metro train has already arrived from Sao Paolo in Brazil, and has gone through several static tests. It will run on the 800-metre test track at the Koyambedu depot soon. The train will be tested continuously for several months to prepare for the trial run, scheduled to take place in December.
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The Metro Rail will become operational in the first quarter of 2014, in the 11-km stretch from Koyambedu to St. Thomas Mount. A total of 42 trains will be manufactured for the transport system. Of these, nine will be manufactured by Alstom in Brazil and the remaining 33 at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh.