Trial run of Delhi Metro's Pink Line flagged off

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday commenced the trial run of the upcoming Pink Line, between Shakurpur and Mayapuri Metro stations, which will eventually run without drivers.

The 6.5 km stretch is the elevated section of the upcoming 59 km long (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor) Line 7 of Phase–III.

The trial runs were flagged off by DMRC managing director Mangu Singh. The initial run will cover five of the 38 stations on the network: Shakurpur, Punjabi Bagh West, ESI Hospital, Rajouri Garden and Mayapuri.

The 59 km long Pink Line will be the longest Metro route. The line will be the second after Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) where driverless trains will run.

These driver-less trains, known as UTO (unattended train operations), will be phased in gradually after the start of the line. Initially, drivers will be deployed on both the Magenta and Pink Lines.

"During the trials, the interface of the Metro train will be checked to ensure that there is no physical infringement with civil infrastructure during the movement of the train on the track. Testing of various subsystems of coaches will also be done," DMRC said in a press statement.

"The new signalling technology, known as communication based train control (CBTC), will be implemented on this corridor and will undergo rigorous testing in stages. The response of the train at different speeds, braking of the train and the interconnection with the Operations Control Centre (OCC) will also be monitored during the trials. The behaviour of the track system and the over head electrification (OHE) will be checked repeatedly." said DMRC.

A project under the Phase-III of DMRC, the Metro termed this stretch as "one of the most challenging corridors".

Removal of slums from Punjabi Bagh and Mayapuri to acquire land and control heavy traffic were among factors that posed a challenge during the construction, DMRC said.

The Pink Line is poised to cover almost the entire circular Ring Road and is slated to open for public between December 2017 and March 2018 in stages.