PM Modi to flag off India's first fully automated driverless train tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India’s first driverless train service on Monday (December 28). It will run on the 37 km Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC), connecting Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden.

The Prime Minister’s office said the driverless trains “will be fully automated, which will eliminate the possibility of human error.”

The flagging-off ceremony, which will be held via video conferencing, will also include the launch of the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), an inter-operable transport card, on the 23-kilometre Airport Express Line connecting New Delhi to Dwarka Sector 21.

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The NCMC card will be available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022, according to an official statement by DMRC.

The six coached-driverless trains, which can travel up to a maximum speed of 95 kmph and an operational speed of 85 kmph, will be equipped with features such as LED lighting and air conditioning systems.

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According to a PTI report, these trains will be “more energy efficient than the earlier trains of the Delhi Metro because of improved design features”.