Metro trains in Chennai for every 2 and half minutes
Posted on: 28/Aug/2019 10:38:50 AM
How would you react when you hear that CMRL would soon be running metro trains for every two and half minutes during the peak hours for the sake of the commuters? Feel delighted isn’t it!!
It is revealed that once the number of commuters touches 4 lakhs per day then CMRL or Chennai Metro Rail Limited would run metro trains for the above mentioned time intervals. It must be noted that the number of people using metro trains is over one lakh now in the week days and averages 95000 in the weekends.
An official belonging to CMRL expressed his thoughts. He spoke about how the system is designed for 2 and half minutes. He added that validation must be carried out first and then the frequency of the trains would be increased. Using it to optimal level is important. He hinted about the trials that would be carried out for the sake of preparing.
Information collected is currently metro trains run at 5 minute intervals in the peak hours on one corridor between Washermanpet and Airport via Anna Salai. This was after the commuters showed their anger about overcrowding in the social media.
Important point to be noted here is CMRL does not have enough trains to run at every 2 and half minutes intervals across both the corridors all the day. In the peak hours of time as many as 35 trains are operated now and in the non-peak hours as many as 25 trains are operated or the commuters is known.
To run metro train services for an interval of 2 and half minutes in the peak hours along one corridor CMRL needs 33 trains. It must be taken into account that CMRL has got only 42 trains to operate across 2 corridors in phase-1. Information is additional 10 trains are being manufactured for the 10 km phase-1 extension. It has been mentioned by some officials that increasing the frequency of trains is very difficult and it requires syncing of all critical systems with minimal failure.
It is important to note that passenger information display on the platforms have to sync with the daily train time table. In addition to this, platform screen doors have to function efficiently when the metro trains arrive for every 2 and half minutes of time. Point is it is well known that point machines help in trains switching tracks and it must be fail proof. On Saturday around midnight, all these critical systems would be checked when the trials runs are carried out.
An official of CMRL explained about how the reliability of the overall system is critical and it needs to be tested. He shed light on how any failure in one train or in the signal system could lead to the entire operation going erratic.
