Drivers to operate metro trains in Chennai until next year!!
It seems that the Chennai commuters would have to wait longer to travel in the driverless metro trains.
The happiness and excitement on the faces of many regular commuters of the metro trains in Chennai would surely have come down now. The reason is that the CMRL has made it clear now that the first set of trains operating in the Chennai metro rail phase-2 network between Poonamallee and Porur later in 2025 would be operated by a driver and not driverless.
It must be recalled that some time back CMRL announced that the trains in Chennai metro phase-2 network would be driverless. Information is that the 3 coach metro trains would run driverless only from next year onwards.
It is worthy to note that the interesting aspect of driverless trains for the commuters would be that they could stand and get a beautiful front and back view over the viaduct and inside the tunnel.
Last year, the first metro train reached Chennai and trials are going on now in the Poonamallee depot within the test track. It is now said that later this month trials would commence along the viaduct between Poonamalee and Mullaithottam and then till Porur.
Point to be noted is that the Poonamallee- Porur section comprises a part of corridor 4 (Light House to Poonamallee via Kodambakkam) of the phase-2 network.
Next year, when the metro train services start operating between Porur and Vadapalani, it is likely that the trains will be operated driverless. This was according to the officials of CMRL.
The CMRL official later spoke about how this has been the practice that has been followed. He cited an example in Delhi when driverless trains were first introduced there was an operator in the initial stages. Later on, driverless trains started to operate. In the same way, when metro train services begin between Poonamallee and Porur there would be an operator in the initial stages. Information is that when the metro trains services get extended to Kodambakkam( from Porur to Kodambakkam via Vadapalani) then metro train operation could change into driverless.
To operate trains in UTO mode, longer duration of trials would be needed. This was brought out by an official. He revealed that for atleast 6 months trains needed to be tested in this mode and then for a couple of months there would be integrated testing and signalling. A certification would be needed
