New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is set to expand its driverless train operations to the upcoming Phase-IV corridors, furthering its push towards automation and modern urban mobility. The move is expected to enhance safety, reduce human dependency, and improve operational efficiency across the network.
Confirming the development, a senior DMRC official told Indian Express that the new corridors being developed under Phase-IV will also be equipped for driverless operations. “Our goal is to ensure that all new routes coming up under Phase-IV are capable of running driverless services from the very beginning,” the official said. The Delhi Metro first introduced driverless operations on December 28, 2020, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s first such train on the Magenta Line connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden. Since then, the system has been gradually expanded, and Delhi now operates 69 driverless trains across the Pink and Magenta Lines.
According to DMRC data, 43 of these trains are deployed on the Pink Line (Line 7), while 26 serve the Magenta Line (Line 8). Officials
say the Unattended Train Operation (UTO) mode has made train deployment faster and more reliable.
“Automation has reduced downtime between services. The system conducts several technical checks automatically, cutting down the need for manual inspections before each run,” a DMRC spokesperson explained.
The corporation said that once Phase-IV becomes operational, extending UTO services to the Aerocity–Tughlakabad Golden Line and the new sections of the Pink and Magenta Lines, Delhi will rank among the world’s top cities for fully automated metro systems, with around 160 km of driverless corridors.
Phase-IV includes three priority routes currently under construction: Majlis Park–Maujpur (Pink Line extension), Janakpuri West–RK Ashram Marg (Magenta Line extension), and Aerocity–Tughlakabad (Golden Line). Other proposed lines include Inderlok–Indraprastha (Green Line), Lajpat Nagar–Saket G Block (Golden Line), and Rithala–Kundli (Red Line). DMRC officials believe that this technological shift will not only enhance commuter safety but also allow greater flexibility in train frequency during peak hours, setting new benchmarks for public transport automation in India.