Bengaluru: BEML Limited has started the process to manufacture prototype driverless trains for Namma Metro's Blue and Pink lines.
On Saturday, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao and Director (Rolling Stock) NM Dhoke attended the launch event at the BEML plant on Suranjandas Road, near CV Raman Nagar.
BEML Chairman and Managing Director Shantanu Roy and other officials were present on the occasion, according to a statement by BMRCL.
In August 2023, BEML pipped global rolling stock manufacturers to win Namma Metro's largest coach contract, valued at Rs 3,177 crore, which is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Under this contract, BEML will design, manufacture, supply, install, test and commission 318 coaches (53 trainsets) and provide comprehensive maintenance services for up to 15 years.
Sixteen trainsets (96 coaches) will be deployed on the Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara-Nagavara; 21.26 km) and Phase 2A (Silk Board Junction-KR Pura; 19 km). The remaining 21 trainsets (126 coaches) will serve Phase 2B (KR Pura-Kempegowda International Airport; 38 km). Phases 2A and 2B are collectively known as the Blue Line.
The Pink Line, featuring Bengaluru's longest underground section, is to open by the end of 2025, while the Blue Line is slated to start by June 2026.
All coaches will be equipped with Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), a signalling system that allows metro trains to run without loco pilots and at a frequency of 90 seconds.
According to BEML, the coaches for the Blue Line will also have specially designed luggage racks.
The prototype train is expected to be delivered between early 2025. On average, BEML will supply two to three trains per month. All trains will be delivered by the end of 2026.
The trainsets will be fully designed and developed by BEML's in-house engineering teams in Bengaluru.
The trains will be constructed using high-tensile Austenitic stainless steel, with each coach equipped with two roof-mounted saloon air-conditioners.
Additional features include an IP-based Passenger Announcement (PA) and Passenger Information System (PIS), along with a Passenger Saloon Surveillance System (PSSS) that provides real-time station information. This system includes an LCD-based dynamic route map display. For passenger safety, the trains will be equipped with electrically driven automatic doors synchronised with Platform Screen Doors, according to BEML.
The interiors will feature aesthetically appealing designs with FRP panels, stainless steel grab poles, grab rails with strap hangers and ergonomic stainless steel seats designed with lumbar support, BEML said.
To date, BEML has delivered over 2,000 coaches to metro systems in Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai.