New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched India’s first-ever fully-automated driverless train operations on the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro.
PM Modi also launched the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), dubbed as ‘One Nation One Card’, an inter-operable transport facility that allows users to pay for travel, toll duties, retail shopping, and withdraw money using one card.
The driverless train service will be available on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line which connects Janakpuri West in West Delhi to Botanical Garden in Noida. This will be extended to Delhi Metro’s Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) by mid-2021.
“The inauguration of the first driver-less metro train shows how fast India is moving towards smart systems,” Prime Minister Modi said inaugurating the ground-breaking project today during a virtual function.
He said, “The first metro in Delhi was started with the efforts of Atal (Bihari Vajpayee) Ji. When our government was formed in 2014, only five cities had metro services and today 18 cities have metro rail service. By 2025, we will take this service to more than 25 cities.”
“In 2014, only 248 kms of metro lines were operational in the country. Today it is about three times more than 700 kilometers. By the year 2025, we are trying to expand it to 1700 km,” PM added.
The Prime Minister said with the achievement of Metro Rail without a driver, our country has joined the select countries of the world where such facilities are available. He said a braking system in which 50 percent of the energy goes back into the grid when the brakes are applied are being used. Today 130 MW of solar power is being used in metro rail, which will be increased to 600 MW.
“This shows how fast India is progressing towards a smart system. The Delhi metro is now connected through National Common Mobility Card (NCMC),” PM Modi said on the occasion.
With these new trains, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will enter the elite league of 7 per cent of the world’s Metro networks that can operate without drivers, according to DMRC.
Talking about the Common Mobility Card, the PM said that providing the same standards and facilities for modernization is very important. The Common Mobility Card at the national level is a major step in this direction. This one card will give integrated access to the commuters wherever they travel, whichever public transport they take.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also attended the inauguration programme and the launch of fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on the Airport Express Line.
-CHK
