Home ›› 28 Dec 2022 ›› Front
Metro rail, the first of its kind in the country, will be a safer mode of travel for the city dwellers than any other transport systems they use for commuting every day, authorities concerned say.
They said that they have been working thoroughly to ensure safety of passengers in terms of both mechanical and operational safety as well as a foolproof security system to be installed by the law enforcers for these electric trains.
M A N Siddique, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the implementing agency of the project, said that metro rail will be operated using Japanese technology. The entire system will be managed through an Operation Control Centre (OCC). “It will also have state-of-the-art technology, moving block communication based telecontrol system and automatic train operation,” he added.
In terms of a secure means of travel, metro rail will be the leader in the country, he claimed.
Close monitoring is the key
Asked, how will the authorities to ensure safety and security, M A N Siddique said, the main feature of this mode of transport is close monitoring and automatic operation.
“Train movement will be monitored from central control room, station’s control room and control panel on board. We will monitor the speed of trains, where it will stop, how long it will stop at stations,” he said.
The control rooms will also monitor if the passengers have managed to board properly from each station, if the signaling system functions well. If there is any problem or malfunction, it will be fixed remotely or in case, staff will rush to fix the problem.
During the trial run, local employees of metro rail have been provided with training in safety. The employees now know how they will respond in case of any mechanical or other failures. “For any kind of emergency, there will be a separate group of people who will respond. For example, if a PSD (platform screen door) suddenly dysfunctions during train’s arrival, station controller will notice that and will take steps accordingly.”
“Again after arrival of trains, if someone stands blocking the door, train operator will be able to see that on screen and will announce through loudspeaker requesting that passenger to step aside,” he said citing another example.
According to the officials, the trains will be monitored by the central control and where and when to stop will be determined through automatic train stop control and the drivers will not have to do much due to the use of these technologies.
Train routes will be controlled through Program Route Controller System. For using these modern technologies, there will be no problem in the operation of metro rail.
Technical problems will be fixed quickly
The authorities said metro rail will have minimum possibilities of facing technical faults and passengers will be evacuated safely even if it happens. The automatic operation and protection system will move a dysfunctional vehicle to the next station if there is power or mechanical failure. Besides, other trains in that line will automatically stop and wait before the problem is solved.
Maintenance employees will be responsible for ensuring uninterrupted services. Every train will be sent to workshop for routine check before starting day’s service. If any major fault is found, that set of train will be placed for heavy maintenance works.
“From Uttara to Kamalapur, we will need to operate 20 sets of trains. We have four more standby trains at the shed to replace the one undergoing heavy maintenance,” Siddique said.
He said that no train will hopefully break down due to any sudden technical faults. But it can happen due to electrical faults. In that case, the train will automatically run to the next station. The doors will open automatically and passengers will get down and wait for the problem to be fixed, he added.
Risk of electrical malfunctioning is minimal
The authorities said that electricity for the metro rail will be supplied from three grids while there will be a separate regular line. “There will be six power lines with a circuit system. If any line faces disruptions, an alternative line will be activated automatically,” Siddique said.
The trains will only halt service if the national grid fails. In that case, an automatic generator will be activated. “This generator has a backup generator as well. These two generators will supply power by rotation if electricity fails,” Siddique explained.
The 20.15-km MRT-6 is being built from Uttara to Motijheel at a cost of Tk 22,000 crore, which was extended to Kamalapur recently. The Uttara-Agargaon segment will be fully ready for passenger services in December.
The metro rail is designed to carry 60,000 people per hour from Uttara to Motijheel in less than an hour.
