CMRL begins production of driverless train set for Phase II
As per the CMRL press note, CMRL has awarded the contract for the supply of 36 driverless (UTO – Unattended Train Operation) train sets of three-car formation each (108 cars).
CMRL begins production of driverless train
CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has begun the production of 36 driverless trains for Phase II Metro Rail service at Alstom Transport India Limited, Sri City on Thursday at the cost of Rs 1,215.92 crore.
The commencement of production was done by MA Siddique, Managing Director, CMRL AR Rajendran, CGM (RS) CMRL, and Anilkumar Saini, Managing Director - Rolling Stock Alstom, along with other officials.
As per the CMRL press note, CMRL has awarded the contract for the supply of 36 driverless (UTO – Unattended Train Operation) train sets of three-car formation each (108 cars).
The scope of the contract includes the supply of driverless trains including the design, manufacture, testing, commissioning of standard gauge metro rolling stock, training of personnel, supply of spare parts, and defect liability.
Post the design review, fitting, and final assembly, the rolling stock will further undergo various static and dynamic trials in Phase II. Following all the necessary testing, the operations will commence in 2025 with a capacity of about 1,000 passengers, stated the press note.
Commencement of Production of trains for CMRL Phase-2 Network at Alstom Transport India Limited, Sricity, Andhra Pradesh.
— Chennai Metro Rail (@cmrlofficial) February 8, 2024
The Manufacturing of the 36 driverless trains for operations in the phase-II network of Chennai metro commenced by Thiru. M.A.Siddique, I.A.S., Managing… pic.twitter.com/YwhK4n31o8
Especially, in Phase II, CMRL has focused on improved features such as a design speed of 90km/h and operational speed of 80 km/h.
Additionally, the features for Phase II will include passenger-centric internal wide gateways for hassle-free boarding and deboarding, CCTV cameras both inside and outside the cars to enhance security and surveillance, and charging sockets for mobiles and laptops for commuters' connectivity needs.
More specifically, for women different colours of grab handles are used to differentiate the ladies' area, and grab handles installed at a lower height in comparison with other saloon areas for easy access.
Interestingly, for differently-abled, trains in Phase II will have dedicated space provided for a wheelchair passenger with a support handle and long wait press button provided in the wheelchair area for requesting long halt of trains at stations.
