As technology develops, so does the life of the people. An example is the road and transport system, what with new tram cars and metros.
In a shocking incident, a driverless train of the Delhi Metro took off and rammed into a wall during the trial run of the new Botanical Garden-Kalkaji Magenta line.
The driverless train, which took off from the new Botanical Garden broke through boundary at Kalindi Kunj depot. Initial investigation suggests the train did not stop after the automated brakes on the train failed.
A special feature is that the new line will also have ‘driverless trains’. Initially, drivers will run the trains and only after stringent trials, the ‘unattended train operations’ will commence. However, the first trial run has ended in a mishap.
After the accident, the Delhi Metro Rail Cooperation has issued a statement explaining why the incident took place and stating that a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The statement adds that this appears to be a “case of human error and negligence” and that appropriate action will be taken after the inquiry.
“A trial train was moved from the workshop without testing the brake system as a result of which, while the train was moving up the ramp for washing, it rolled back and hit the adjacent boundary wall. No person was injured in the incident,” the statement said.
“As per normal procedure prescribed, when a train enters the workshop, the brakes of the train are decommissioned so that the train and its systems including the brakes can be freely checked. As per procedure, once the train is again re-commissioned, the brakes should have been tested by the maintenance staff in the depot before the train left the shed. The train movement inside the workshop area is done manually and not by the signaling system.
Prima facie, it appears, this was not done and subsequently, the person who took charge of the train from the maintenance staff also did not check the brake and proceeded with the train up to the washing plant built on a ramp. While stopping at the ramp, since the brakes were not available, the train rolled back causing this incident,” the statement added.
The line had, in fact, gone through a safety inspection — considered the last step before the start of the operation — during November 13 to 15, and was expected to commence operations later that month.
However, according to informed sources, the inauguration was put on hold due to various bureaucratic reasons, one of them being the selection of a personality to perform the opening.
The new line is expected to reduce the travel time taken from Noida to South Delhi almost two hours. It is expected the travel time of commuters between Botanical Garden and Kalkaji from the existing 52 minutes (Botanical Garden to Mandi House via Blue Line and onwards to Kalkaji on Violet Line) to a direct 19 minutes.
But this mishap comes as an embarrassment and a cause of worry for the authorities.
The 12.64 kilometer-long Magenta line, expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, runs from Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir station to Noida’s Botanical Garden.
Earlier, in November 2016, two trains, on trial, had grazed each other at the same depot.
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