HYDERABAD (TIP): L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd put on display the first rail coach it received from the Hyundai-Rotem consortium. It announced that the elevated rail system would be fully managed remotely. These trains will have no drivers and run from a central control system. And the ‘driver’ in the metro train coach will only help facilitate entry and exit of passengers and ensure their safety. This coach is part of the large order the metro project placed on the consortium for supply of rail coaches for the 72-km elevated metro rail project being developed by L&T. The coach was formally unveiled here today by the Chief Minister, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, in the presence of officials of L&T and metro rail officials. Each air-conditioned coach will have capacity to seat about 330 people and a train of six coaches is expected to carry about 2000 passengers. While these trains have the capability to manage a top speed of 80 km per hour, the average speed is likely to be 38-40 km per hour.

Initially, 171 coaches for 57 trains will be supplied by Hyundai-Rotem and the rest in a phased manner, said N.V.S. Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd. L&T had placed the Rs 1800-crore order with Hyundai-Rotem last year. V.B.Gadgil, Chief Executive and Managing Director of L&THMRL, said that the coaches will be run on centralised radio frequency from a central operational control system. “We have made good progress so far, but the pace of work can get better,” he felt. Initially, it is proposed to run each train with three coaches and later this will be ramped up to six coaches for one train. The gap between each train will be 90 seconds. All the trains will have CCTV cameras in and outside of the cars, mobile and laptop charging sockets inside the cars. The supply of coaches will be in a phased manner as the project is ready for commissioning.