Delhi Metro: PM Modi flags off India’s first driverless train on Magenta Line; details here

Today, the country’s first-ever driverless train operation has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Magenta Line of Delhi Metro connecting, Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden. Besides, PM Modi also inaugurated the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line via video conferencing. According to DMRC, these innovations are going to herald a new era of enhanced mobility and travelling comfort for the residents of NCR. With the introduction of driverless metro trains on the Magenta Line, the Delhi Metro rail network will be among the 7% of the world’s Metro networks that can function without drivers.

Apart from the 37 km long Magenta Line, connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden, the driverless services will also start on the 57 km long Pink Line of Delhi Metro, which links Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar, by the mid of 2021. After the commencement of driverless services on Pink Line, Delhi Metro will have a driverless network length of nearly 94 km. This will be about 9% of the world’s total driverless metro network. According to DMRC, these fully automated driverless trains will require minimum human intervention as well as eliminate the possibilities of human errors.

The NCMC which is being introduced on Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line will also be a major milestone. With this, any commuter carrying a RuPay- Debit Card that has been recently issued in the last 18 months by 23 banks from any part of India, will be able to travel on the Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro using that card. By the year 2022, the NCMC facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network, DMRC stated.

At present, the Delhi Metro rail service operates on an around 390 km long network with as many as 285 metro stations spanning eleven corridors (including the Noida – Greater Noida corridor). Nearly 60 lakh Delhi Metro train journeys were being conducted on a daily basis during the pre Covid times, DMRC added.