Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will soon begin operating its first driverless trainset, which commuters may anticipate arriving as early as August.
According to a report in Times Of India (TOI), additional trainsets would arrive in the coming months. For the 26-kilometer stretch that is connected by 28 metro stations, three-car trainsets have been proposed to accommodate the expected passenger load.
As stated by a CMRL official who spoke with TOI, one trainset will arrive in August, and six more are expected to arrive in the next two months. “But before the first train arrives, we must complete laying of ballastless tracks on the elevated line in the corridor by July,” he added.
The report further stated that CMRL intends to launch the elevated stretch on corridor-4 in 2025, starting at Powerhouse in Kodambakkam and ending at Poonamallee Bypass. The Poonamallee depot, which is now under construction, will house and maintain all trains operating on corridor 4 when it opens next year.
CMRL plans to acquire a total of 138 three-car trainsets for phase 2, spanning 116.1 kilometres, which will open in stages from 2025 to 2028. In addition to the 70 trainsets for which bids were requested last year, 32 trainsets were the subject of a recent reopening of bids.
In phase 1, the first set of trains arrived from Brazil and were parked at the Koyambedu depot until the lines were ready. The remaining stations to open are Thirumayilai metro, the intersection of Corridors 3 and 4, and a few surrounding stations, according to CMRL Managing Director M A Siddique.
Driverless trains will bypass the Thirumayilai metro until it is ready, with Lighthouse metro, the line’s starting station, opening before the latter.
In February, the rail authorities unveiled the first look of the driverless trains.
The special features included perch seats for standing passengers, CCTV cameras inside and outside cars, charging sockets for mobile phones and laptops, grab handles in different colours at a lower height for women, dedicated space and a long wait press button for passengers in wheelchairs and LCD screens for displaying real-time route maps and entertainment.
Each of the three cars in the trainsets can accommodate approximately 1,000 passengers. Additionally, it will have a design speed of 90 km/hr and an operational speed of 80 km/hr.
They will also be equipped with detectors to detect obstacles and train derailments as well as a regenerative braking system to save electricity.
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