Stay connected on Metro

Send emails or chat up with your chums while you are on Namma Metro train, which will have WiFi, LCDs and CCTVs
SHASHWATHI BHANUKUMAR


It’s official: The first-ever product to come out of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) project will be rolling stock, the first prototype of which will be out in Oct 2010. The pre-final discussions on the design of rolling stock are on.
HI-TECH METRO
Bangaloreans can expect the Namma Metro coaches to be more sophisticated than those of its Delhi counterpart. First, the BMRCL is working to supply Metro trains with WiFi systems which will allow passengers to access the Web through laptops.
“We are discussing the possibility of having a server on board. We are also working out possibilities for internet connectivity as it is difficult to provide continuous connectivity on a moving train,” said B L Yeshavanth Chavan, Deputy Chief Engineer, Rolling Stock.
Talks are on with the signalling & telecommunications department for finding ways to provide the facility.
LCDs, CCTVs
Each coach will have five to eight
LCD screens, another facility the Delhi
Metro does not have. The BMRC will decide the number of LCD screens in each coach by this month-end, when the design will be finalised.
These 17-inch LCD screens will display advertisements apart from screening information on the Metro Rail and the ‘dos’ and ‘dont’s’ to the commuters, said Chavan. The BMRC is expected to make revenue from displaying ads on these LCD screens. Besides, each coach will have an electronic destination display system.
The coaches will also have CCTVs. Each coach will accommodate four CCTVs to keep a watch on suspicious objects or persons as the metros have become a target of terrorist attacks in the recent past.
With high-end facilities on offer, Namma Metro is one thing that Bangaloreans will be looking forward to experience.