Metro Rail’s driverless trains to undergo first safety test next month

Officials say a Research Designs and Standards Organisation team will visit the city by July-end, and test a train to evaluate the safety parameters, among others.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

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Five months before passenger operations are set to begin on the first stretch of the phase-II project, Chennai Metro Rail’s driverless trains will go through their first safety test by the technical wing of Indian Railways, the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).

Chennai Metro Rail needs to have two certifications — one by RDSO and the second by the Commissioner of Rail Safety – before launching services for the public.

According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), a team of experts from the RDSO will visit the city by the end of July, and test a driverless train to evaluate the safety parameters, quality of ride, comfort, adherence to the technical specifications, and alignment, among others.

Prior to the RDSO trials, later this month, CMRL will send them an exhaustive document, containing almost every specification about the driverless train. After reviewing the document, the team of experts will carry out the trials on the viaduct between Poonamallee and Porur, where CMRL will start services for commuters in December.

“Oscillation trials to examine how the train operates at different speeds, and to check its stability will be done. The maximum speed of a driverless train is 90 kmph. It will run multiple times on empty and loaded condition at various speeds. During the course of this testing, they will examine vertical acceleration, lateral acceleration, calculate the ride index and other such aspects,” an official said. They will also look into the emergency braking distance, whether the train stops at a specific distance.

While the CMRL will be providing the train log and data, RDSO will deploy their sensors and devices, and make the calculations, officials say. These trials are likely to go on for a week in July-end.

If they are convinced with all the tests, then RDSO will issue a ‘speed certification’, authorising the speed at which the train will be allowed to operate on this stretch. “Only if we receive this certificate can we apply for the second level of approval from the Commissioner of Rail Safety, who will inspect a host of facilities at the stations. This final approval is likely to be given towards the date of launch,” another official said.