Kolkata Metro gets clearance for driverless trains on Green Line

Kolkata is set to become one of the few Indian cities to operate driverless metro trains after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) cleared Kolkata Metro’s Green Line (East-West Corridor) for autonomous operations, sources told The Indian Express.

The Green Line runs between Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V. Driverless operations are also planned for the Purple Line in the future.

While the necessary approvals have been received, no timeline has been announced for the rollout.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Metro CPRO S S Kanon said, “Internal capabilities are being tested; it will be implemented at the right time, not immediately. Unmanned metros will run in both the Purple and Green lines.”

Kolkata will join Delhi and Bengaluru, which already operate driverless metro services. Delhi Metro runs driverless trains on the Magenta and Pink lines using Grade of Automation-4 (GoA-4) technology, allowing trains to operate without attendants inside the coaches. Bengaluru Metro also operates unmanned services on its Yellow Line.

The move has raised questions about passenger safety in situations such as someone falling onto the tracks or a system failure. Driverless metro systems use multiple layers of safety measures.

Platform screen doors (PSDs), which are glass safety barriers installed along platforms, remain synchronised with train doors and open only when a train has come to a complete halt, preventing passengers from accessing the tracks.

The trains are also equipped with highly sensitive optical sensors and physical detection bars at the front. If even a small object is detected on the track ahead, the emergency braking system is activated immediately.

Meanwhile, work on Kolkata Metro’s Line 6 (Orange Line) has also moved forward with the completion of a long-pending section. Engineers from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) have laid the crucial girders over pillars 317 to 319 on the EM Bypass at Chingrighata.

The project had remained stalled for nearly 18 months because of delays in obtaining traffic blocks on the busy bypass. With the political and administrative hurdles resolved, the work has now been completed.

The driverless metro system relies on Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), the signalling technology that enables autonomous train operations. Among Kolkata Metro’s two fully operational lines, only the East-West Metro is currently equipped with the CBTC system, making it capable of supporting driverless services.