The East West Metro Railway has started trials for running its rakes in the automatic train operation mode, which will facilitate increasing the frequency between two trains to four minutes from the present five to six minutes, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The rakes of the East West Metro can run in two modes - ATP (automatic train protection) and ATO (automatic train operation), its spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said.
The existing system in which trains in East West Metro were being run was ATP, she said.
"With the introduction of the ATO system, the frequency between two trains can be increased to four minutes from five to six minutes," the official said.
She said that time loss caused by manual driving by motormen will be done away with in the ATO mode, thus ensuring increased frequency.
Trials for running the rakes, manufactured by BEML, in ATO mode began on Monday, Banerjee said.
She said this phase of trial involves interface of rolling stock with the signalling system.
"There has not been any glitch during the trial so far and further fine tuning will be done if required. As per the ATO mode, the rakes will run using the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system," she said.
Train operations using the system will be totally menu driven, the official said.
The CBTC system integrates equipment installed on the trains with the land-based ones, using wireless communications, a technocrat said.
"Motormen will be very much there in the cab of the train in the ATO mode as well, but only to close the doors," Banerjee said, adding, the doors will open automatically.
The ATO mode of operating the trains will also ensure maintaining of required speed limits and be jerk-free with smooth braking, she said.
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