Kolkata Metro unveils demo coach for East-West metro corridor

The Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) on Saturday unveiled a demo coach built by Bengaluru-based BEML Ltd for East-West metro corridor which is likely to be commissioned with a truncated route around June this year.

According to officials, the demo coach is not only capable of running at double the speed of existing rakes but also has amenities for the disabled passengers and reduced chances of collision.

"There will be six coaches in a train, which will run at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour, double the speed limit of 40 km a hour of the existing North-South Metro," a KMRCL official said, adding that the all air-conditioned demo coach has in-built features to take a wheel-chair bound person directly inside the compartment, facilitated by platforms with ramps for the disabled.

"The East-West Metro is going to be safer, more reliable and more comfortable," KMRCL's Chief Civil Engineer B. Dewanji said.

The corporation's Managing Director Satish Kumar had said the East-West metro corridor covers a total distance of 16.6 km and the first phase of the corridor was expected to run between Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium on EM Bypass, spanning over 5 km, by June 2018.

The coaches will be operated by Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) technology from the control room at the KMRC Central Depot, the official said.

According to the official, all these automated rakes will have the facility of operating trains without a motorman.

The coaches will be 2.88 metres wide with a total seating capacity of 268 and standing capacity of 1,782. Trains on the stretch will have a frequency of 2.5 minutes during peak hours.

--IANS

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