The first Metro train, comprising six coaches, procured by Delhi Metro for its Phase 4 operations, reached the national capital on Friday, marking a significant milestone towards completing and operationalising priority corridors of Delhi Metro Phase-4.
“This train set was inaugurated on September 23 earlier this year in presence of DMRC and Alstom delegates after completion of manufacturing of all 6 cars of first train set at Rolling Stock manufacturer Alstom’s facility at Sricity near Chennai.
“The train was stationed at Delhi Metro’s Mukundpur depot, where it will undergo a number of tests required for its statutory certification for revenue service as a part of established rules and protocols,” a DMRC spokesperson said.
As part of the RS-17 contract, the DMRC will be receiving a total of 312 Metro coaches (52 trains) for its Phase – 4 priority corridors, that is Majlis Park to Maujpur, Janakpuri West to R K Ashram Marg and Tughlakabad to Delhi Aerocity. All the trains shall be reaching Delhi in a phased manner in the days to come.
Out of the 312 coaches, 234 coaches are allocated for the extended sections of Line – 7 (Pink Line) and Line – 8 (Magenta Line), that is Majlis Park to Maujpur and Janakpuri West to R K Ashram Marg. The balance 78 coaches are for the Tughlakabad to Delhi Aerocity corridor.
All these trains will be compatible for driverless operations, in line with the Delhi Metro’s efforts for providing world-class services to its commuters and will provide a fillip to the Make in India initiative of the Government of India. These made-in-India trains are designed for a safe speed of up to 95 kmph and operational speed of up to 85 kmph, with GOA 4 driverless features.
While the Janakpuri West – RK Ashram Marg extension of the Magenta Line will get 144 new coaches (24 trains), the Mukundpur – Maujpur extension of the Pink Line will get 90 new coaches (15 trains). As mentioned above, the new Golden line corridor from Aerocity to Tughlakabad, will be provided with 78 new coaches (13 trains).
As part of the Phase 4 expansion of the Delhi Metro, the DMRC is constructing 86 kilometres of new lines across five different corridors in the national capital. While three corridors – Janakpuri West – RK Ashram Marg, Majlis Park – Maujpur and Aerocity – Tughlakabad are under construction, the other two new corridors, Lajpat Nagar – Saket-G Block and Indraprastha – Inderlok are in the pre-tendering stages.
The Delhi Metro currently operates on a network of 392.4 kilometres with 288 Metro stations (including the NOIDA – Greater NOIDA corridor and the Rapid Metro, Gurugram) operating with a fleet of about 350 Metro trains with four, six and eight coach combinations on both, broad gauge as well as standard gauge tracks.
The Delhi Metro trains are among the most advanced metro trains worldwide serving the mass urban transit sector. The first ever driverless operations in India, were commenced on the Delhi Metro network on Magenta Line in December 2020. Subsequently, driverless services were also extended on the Pink Line in November 2021.