More, the muddier - now a driverless metro

How about driverless Metro Rail?
Malaysian Consortium Proposes To Build Sans Govt Funds
The Times of India

Bangalore: If JD(S) president H.D. Deve Gowda has reservations to the Metro Rail for Bangalore because of what he thinks is its prohibitive cost, a Malaysian Consortium has come with a proposal to the Karnataka government to construct a ‘driverless’ Metro Rail with no funds from the government.

The consortium, Kencana Kasifa Transit Systems (KKTS) consisting of giants Opus, IJM, Sistem Konpakar and ECM Libra, in a tie up with Indian company NEB Infrastructure, has come forward to build the Metro Rail. A presentation was made to chief minister N. Dharam Singh a couple of months ago and the government is yet to take a decision.

It has submitted a proposal where the project will be financed 100 per cent by them and the Bangalore Metro Rail Transit Limited (BMRTL) will be on the governing council of the system. The consortium will take up the project on a BOOT (Build, Operate, Own, Transfer) basis. “We will transfer the system to the government in 30 or 35 years time after recovering the cost of the project and making reasonable profit,’’ the promoters have said.

Alternatively, the consortium has offered to bring 90 per cent of the funds while the Karnataka government puts in 10 per cent, KKTS managing director Syed Saahil Saif said from Malaysia. The system, which is being run in Kuala Lumpur, can carry 20,000 to 30,000 passengers per hour, and will cost to the passenger just one-and-half times of the bus fare. Also, the promoters said that monthly season tickets priced between Rs 300 and Rs 500 will be offered, just like bus passes, and commuters can travel any number of times a day with the pass.

Apart from offering a ‘driverless’ train system, it has also come up with a proposal with a driver-driven train. While the driver-driven train system will cost Rs 5,000 crore for 48 km of rail link, the driverless system will cost little over Rs 6,000 crore.

A driverless system is a very secure mode of transportation and sure system. The human element has been totally eliminated, and is computerised and totally managed by a central command centre. The trains have total connectivity through cameras, and every nook and corner of the station can be seen.

Saahil said that though the driverless system is more capital cost intensive, the operating cost of the system is far less and the consortium will also be able to provide cheaper fares for the passengers. “It is working very well in Kuala Lumpur. The operating cost will come down by 8 to 10 per cent per annum.’’

The train on the Metro Rail system can travel between 80 kmph and 100 kmph, but because of stations almost every 1.25 km, the train will have an average speed of 40 kmph to 60 kmph.