The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is preparing to introduce driverless trains on its upcoming Phase-IV corridors, a move aimed at boosting operational efficiency and reducing the chances of human error. Speaking to Indianexpress.com, a senior DMRC official confirmed, “The upcoming Phase-IV will also feature driverless trains.”
Driverless Operations Already in Service
The country’s first driverless train was flagged off on the Magenta Line (Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 28, 2020. Since then, the Delhi Metro has steadily expanded its Unattended Train Operation (UTO) network, with a total of 69 driverless trains currently running on the Pink and Magenta Lines.
“At present, Unattended Train Operation (UTO) services are operational on the Pink Line (Line–7) and the Magenta Line (Line–8) of the Delhi Metro network. A total of 43 trains are currently deployed on the Pink Line, while 26 trains are operational on the Magenta Line under the UTO system,” the DMRC official told Indianexpress.com.
Delhi Metro’s Global Milestone
According to DMRC, the introduction of driverless technology has significantly improved coach availability by automating processes that were earlier done manually. DMRC’s introduction of driverless trains has significantly improved coach availability for daily operations. By removing the need for manual pre-service inspections, it has streamlined maintenance procedures and eased the workload on train operators.
The Metro authority few years back said that once Phase-IV is complete and driverless operations extend to the Aerocity–Tughlakabad Golden Line as well as extensions of the Pink and Magenta Lines, Delhi Metro will become the world’s second-largest driverless Metro network with 160 km of fully automated corridors.
Phase-IV Corridors at a Glance
The Phase-IV project consists of three priority corridors — Majlis Park to Maujpur on the Pink Line, Janakpuri West to RK Ashram Marg on the Magenta Line, and Delhi Aerocity to Tughlakabad on the Golden Line. The remaining corridors include Inderlok to Indraprastha (Green Line), Lajpat Nagar to Saket G Block (Golden Line), and Rithala to Kundli (Red Line).