Trial runs commence on the Shakurpur-Mayapuri section of the Delhi Metros Pink Line. (PTI Photo)
Delhi Metro today began trial runs on the upcoming Pink Line (Shiv Vihar-Majlis Park) which will eventually run without drivers.
The initial run on the 6.5-km Shakurpur-Mayapuri section will cover five of the 38 stations on the network: Shakurpur, Punjabi Bagh West, ESI Hospital, Rajouri Garden and Mayapuri. The Pink Line will be 58 km long -- the longest of Metro routes.
This line will be the second after Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) where trains will run without drivers.
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.
The Pink Line will also get new signalling technology known as Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), the Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) said in a statement.
"The CBTC technology will improve the coordination between the trains coming from different directions in terms of signalling, which will eventually increase the frequency of trains," a DMRC spokesperson told IANS.
A project under Phase-3 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 challenge during the construction, the DMRC said.
The longest in Delhi Metro, the Pink Line is poised to cover almost the entire circular Ring Road. It is slated to open for public between December 2017 and March 2018 in stages.