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Good News! In a first, Mumbaikars to get driverless Local Trains

CBTC system is presently used in the operation of trains in Spain, London. Last year, Mumbai Metro got its indigenously-manufactured driverless trains from Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.

Good News! In a first, Mumbaikars to get driverless Local Trains
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In a first of its kind, Mumbaikars are likely to experience driverless local trains soon. The groundwork of the first driverless local trains advanced signalling system is expected to begin in 2023.

The Indian Railways has planned to introduce Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system on a pilot basis between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Panvel.

This development comes in order to increase the frequency of Mumbai local trains amid rising passenger rush.

After studying different suburban railway line patterns, railways have decided to implemented first on the Harbour Line, followed by Central Railway mainline and Western Railway.

Moreover, officials stated that after a successful pilot, railways might introduce CBDT between CSMT-Kalyan and Churchgate-Virar.

Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), which will oversee the implementation of the system, is in the final process of floating tender for the project. Once the tender is floated, it would take six to eight months for MRVC to award the tender and the work will begin after that, said officials.

The driverless system enables signals to be placed inside the motorman cabin. CBTC does not require physical signals to be placed across the railway tracks, helping reduce the distance of trains between two signals and accommodate more trains.

Though the system can be operated driverless, railway authorities said that the trains will continue to be operated by motormen.

A motorman will be able to supervise and direct controls as there are trespassing, multiple convergence and crossings along the suburban railway tracks. If the trains are operated without motormen, then they would halt multiple times due to the brake system installed in it. In future, the system can operate without a motorman, a senior MRVC official was quoted as saying by the HT.

As per accounts, CBTC is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3 A, which got approval in 2019 and will cost ₹5,928 crores. The system will help increase the frequency of local trains operating every hour from the present 16 to 24. It will also reduce the headway between the trains from four minutes to two and half minutes.

CBTC system is presently used in the operation of trains in Spain, London. Last year, Mumbai Metro got its indigenously-manufactured driverless trains from Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.

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