Metro prepares for driverless trains

AN EARLY morning “wake up” command from the Operations Control Centre (OCC) will stir the Metro coaches — that goes into “sleep mode” for the night — into action. The lights in the coaches will switch on, the engine will ignite and an automatic self-check of its “technical fitness” will be conducted before the trains run through automated washing plants and finally chug into platforms. All this sans a train operator’s supervision.

Driving Delhi Metro into the league of the world's most advanced metro systems — like those in Singapore, Beijing, Dubai — trains on Line 7 (Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar) and Line 8 (Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden) will have no drivers and be remotecontrolled by an upcoming OCC inside Metro Bhawan in Barakhamba Road. The move is expected to usher in a new era in the operations of Delhi Metro.

In addition to the two existing OCCS, the third OCC is set to become the Delhi Metro’s futuristic nerve centre. “Preparing for driverless trains, we have a few provisions in place such as the platform screen doors and passenger alarm buttons. The platform screen doors will be the additional safety net to eliminate the possibility of passengers falling on to the Metro tracks or getting caught between closing Metro doors. With the new system, a passenger in distress will be connected to the OCC for assistance. As soon as a commuter presses the alarm button, her image will pop up on the screen in the OCC,” explained Anuj Dayal, DMRC spokesperson.

“Each coach will be equipped with four CCTV cameras and the OCC will have a real-time view of what is happening inside every train. With 10,000 CCTV cameras operational right now, Delhi Metro has the country’s largest CCTV network. This figure is set to touch 15,000 by the end of the year,” he said.

Two giant concave screens for the real-time running status of Line 7 and Line 8 each and a third for CCTV visuals loom over work-stations at the upcoming OCC. Officials will work here in three shifts with at least 15 heads at any given point of time. As the OCC gears up to be the first of its kind in the country and is set to draw a large number of visitors, a separate viewers’ gallery too has been designed.

Express At Metro Bhawan.