The Chennai Metro will start its first phase with 15 driverless trains. These trains will run at a 10-minute gap. Commuters will pay a maximum fare of Rs 40 between Vadapalani and Poonamallee Bypass.
Chennai Metro Rail Limited is bringing driverless trains to the city. The operator-less metro train service will start by mid-2027. Officials are currently running trial runs for this project.
The metro will use an Automatic Train Operation system in the first phase. Two operators will stay inside the train to ensure passenger safety during this time. The metro plans to launch fully operator-less train services by mid-2027.
The Unattended Train Operation (UTO) system will run without any operators on board. The Operation Control Centre will manage everything remotely. This centre will even control the train doors.
Officials are currently conducting trial runs for these operator-less trains. They are testing around 120 different safety scenarios during these runs.
The driverless train service will start with 15 trains in the initial phase. These trains will operate at a 10-minute interval. The maximum ticket fare between Vadapalani and Poonamallee Bypass will be Rs 40. A single train with three coaches can carry up to 900 passengers. The trains will hit a top speed of 80 km/h. However, they will run at an average speed of 32 km/h. Right now, only Delhi has a driverless metro train service in India.