Madhavaram all set to get metro train control centre

CHENNAI: Madhavaram will not just be home to one of the city's largest metrorail depots but will also become the nerve center for the metro train operations, as Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to build the operations control centre (OCC) that will monitor and control trains of phase-1 and driverless trains of phase-2.
Officials said the OCC will be set up near the depot and will have additional space and facilities to cater to future expansion. Another OCC will be set up at CMRL's headquarters in Nandanam which will be on standby. CMRL has floated a tender to establish the OCC at Madhavaram. At present, CMRL has an OCC in Koyambedu.
"If OCC tenders are awarded, it will take one year to set up. Except for the large screens and the software, OCC will only require a fiber optic cable from the network to be connected to the control centre. The one to be set up at Nandanam will be a backup and the existing one in Koyambedu will be dismantled, and it will be used for property development," a metrorail official said.
Traffic controllers and other officials monitor the movement of the trains on the mainline from the OCC. They take control of the train operations during emergencies. Since phase-2 corridors will have driverless trains, the entire operation of the trains including the opening and closing of the train doors at stations will be controlled from OCC. There will also be cameras installed both inside and outside the trains for remote monitoring. CMRL has a fleet of 52 trains in phase-1 and will operate nearly 110 trains in phase-2.
"BOCC, which is a backup OCC, is mandatory and must be built far away from the main OCC because the backup is used when there is an emergency like a fire accident in the main OCC," said R Ramanathan, former CMRL director.