Can Indian metros go driverless? Delhi's success sparks nationwide debate
What's the story
Delhi Metro recently set a new record with 1.6 million passengers riding its driverless trains in a single day on November 2. The feat came ahead of the Diwali festival and accounted for nearly one-fourth of the entire network's daily ridership of eight million. The success has sparked discussions about the feasibility and potential benefits of adopting similar technology in other metro systems across India.
Expansion plans
DMRC operates 100 UTO trains on Magenta, Pink lines
Vikas Kumar, the Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), has urged other metro rail projects to adopt this model.
He said that the network currently operates 100 Unattended Train Operation (UTO) trains on its Magenta and Pink lines, covering a distance of 120km.
This accounts for 29% of the entire network. The stretch is expected to expand to 198km with ongoing expansion projects.
Automation advantages
Reliability improved due to exhaustive self-tests
Kumar stressed that driverless train operations offer more flexibility, reduce human intervention and errors, and improve coach availability for service.
He also assured that the reliability of these trains has improved manifold due to exhaustive self-tests conducted before their induction into service.
However, some government officials have raised concerns over the high upfront capital costs associated with this technology as well as its potential impact on employment.
Cautious approach
Assess own needs instead of following global trends: Expert
Sudhanshu Mani, former Railway General Manager and the man behind India's Vande Bharat train prototype in 2018, has warned against blindly adopting the driverless model.
He said India should assess its own needs instead of following global trends.
However, he also acknowledged the operational benefits of automation such as eliminating human error, ensuring precise schedules, and freeing up space for passengers.
Job reassignment
No train operators laid off due to automation fears
Addressing fears of job losses due to automation, Kumar said no train operators who were taken off driving duties after the introduction of driverless operations in 2020 have been laid off.
Instead, they have been reassigned to other roles such as station management and crowd control.
The DMRC currently employs around 3,000 train operators across its network.
Metro services are operational in 26 Indian cities, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Bengaluru.