Bengaluru to debut driverless trains: All you need to know

Bengaluru Metro’s first driverless prototype train for the Yellow Line arrived in Bengaluru from China via Chennai port last week.

The 19 km – Yellow Line connects RV Road with Bommasandra near Electronics City, which houses major companies such as Infosys and Biocon, and is expected to be operational by September 2024.

Currently, BMRCL operates 57 trains on the Purple (Challaghatta – Whitefield) and Green Lines (Nagasandra – Silk Institute), all manufactured by Bengaluru-based BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited). Moneycontrol delves deep into Bengaluru’s first driverless Metro trains.

What is driverless technology?

Driverless trains are being introduced as part of the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system for the Yellow Line. This is the first time CBTC, commonly known as ‘driverless technology,’ has been implemented in the Bengaluru Metro. Currently, Namma Metro operates with the DTG (distance-to-go) signalling system, wherein the time between two trains is two and a half minutes. However, CBTC can decrease train headway to less than 90 seconds.

Why are trains being imported from China?

In December 2019, CRRC’s subsidiary, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, emerged as the lowest bidder to deliver 216 new coaches. In February 2020, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) signed a contract with CRRC, and the firm was scheduled to supply all of them by December 2023. However, it has missed multiple deadlines. The first CBTC train was supposed to be delivered in 87 weeks (1.6 years) but was ultimately delivered on February 14, 2024. Of the total, 126 (21 six-coach DTG trains) will be deployed on the Purple and Green lines. The remaining 90 coaches (15 six-coach trains) are for the Yellow Line. CRRC quoted the lowest amount in the tender, which was about Rs 400 crore less than BEML’s bid.