PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate India's first-ever driverless train operations on December 28; check details

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro's Magenta Line (Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden) on Monday (December 28, 2020). 

PM Modi will also inaugurate the fully operational National Common Mobility Card service on the Airport Express Line at 11 AM via video conferencing. 

"These innovations will herald a new era of travelling comfort and enhanced mobility," said the Prime Minister's Office.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) stated, "With the commencement of driverless trains on the Delhi Metro's Magenta Line, DMRC will enter the elite league of seven percent of world's Metro networks which can operate without drivers."

Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi will inaugurate India’s first Driverless Train on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line & will launch the fully operational National Common Mobility Card on the Airport Express Line on 28 December 2020 at 11 AM.

Watch the event live on https://t.co/ah2zFTdpU7 pic.twitter.com/TqDGR37eCc

— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I कृपया मास्क पहनें (@OfficialDMRC) December 26, 2020

Notably, driverless trains will be fully automated, which will eliminate the possibility of human error. 

After the start of driverless services on the Magenta Line, the Pink Line of Delhi Metro is expected to have driverless operations by the mid of 2021. 

The National Common Mobility Card, which will be fully operationalised on the Airport Express Line, will enable anyone carrying a RuPay-Debit Card issued from any part of the country to travel on the Airport Express Line using that card. This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022. 

Meanwhile, the DMRC shared '2020 in 4 photos' on their social media platforms. The photos reflected the four phases of 2020, where the first picture reflects the crowd inside Delhi Metro premises before the unprecedented COVID-9 induced lockdown, whereas, the second picture shows a vacant metro station due to coronavirus outbreak. The third photograph shows the preparations before the operations were going to resume and the last picture shows when the DMRC resumed operations after over 5 months of halt.

2020 in 4 photos. #2020Rewind pic.twitter.com/Tcr66bPLtH — Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I कृपया मास्क पहनें (@OfficialDMRC) December 25, 2020

The Delhi Metro currently operates on a network of about 390 kilometres with 285 stations spanning 11 corridors (including Noida – Greater Noida). 

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, over 60 lakh journeys were being performed every day on the Delhi Metro network.

Currently, 702 kilometres of Metro lines are operational across 18 cities in India. About 27 cities in the country may have Metro connectivity in the coming years and by 2022, India is likely to have a combined Metro network of over a thousand kilometres.