More trainsets are scheduled to arrive in the next months and will be used on phase-2 corridor 4 from Lighthouse to the Poonamallee Bypass, which is anticipated to open in 2025. There are three planned vehicle trainsets for the 26-kilometer circuit that is connected by 28 metro stations.
One trainset is scheduled to arrive in August, and six more are anticipated to arrive within the next two months, according to a CMRL spokesperson. “However, we have to finish installing ballastless tracks on the elevated line in the corridor by July before the first train arrives,” he continued.
The elevated section of Corridor-4, which would begin from Powerhouse in Kodambakkam and conclude at Poonamallee Bypass, is scheduled to begin construction in 2025 by CMRL. When corridor 4 opens in a year, all trains operating on it will be housed and maintained at the Poonamallee depot, which is now under construction.
The first images of the driverless trains with their unique features were unveiled by CMRL in February. These features included standing passenger perch seats, CCTV cameras both inside and outside the cars, charging ports for laptops and mobile phones, grab handles with different colors at a lower height specifically for women, a dedicated area and long wait press button for wheelchair users, and LCD screens for entertainment and real-time route maps.
In preparation for phase 2, which will open gradually between 2025 and 2028 and extend 116.1 kilometers, CMRL intends to purchase 138 three-car trainsets in total. 32 trainsets were the focus of a recent reopening of bids in addition to the 70 trainsets for which bids were asked the previous year.The trainsets have three carriages, each of which can hold about 1,000 passengers. It will also have an operational speed of 80 km/h and a design speed of 90 km/h.They will also have a regenerative braking system to conserve electricity and detectors to identify obstructions and train derailments.
[With TOI inputs]
