Siemens to provide Driverless Technology to Bengaluru Metro
Siemens Mobility GmbH in partnership with Siemens India Ltd. is providing Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) its train automation solutions for Phase 2 of Namma metro (Bengaluru Metro).
Details of Contract and Competitive Bids
Siemens, on 10th December 2020 announced deployment of its CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) system across 18.8Km of the Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro. It will have 16 elevated stations and 1 depot at Hebbagodi, providing connectivity between R V Road and Bommasandra.
Siemens won this contract on 24th September 2020 with a bid of INR 247.71 Crore (30 million Euros). Its nearest competitor was Hitachi (Ansaldo STS) with 38.6 million Euros bid.
Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter said: “Siemens Mobility is excited to partner with Bengaluru Metro Rail on this groundbreaking project that will provide this new rail line with the highest grade of signaling technology and automation services“.
First GoA4 Grade Automation in India
The system will comprise of telecommunication system, automatic train protection and supervision system, and electronic interlockings. This is claimed to be the first CBTC project in the country with GoA4 (Grade of Automation 4) grading. GoA4 is the highest grade of automation in trains as of now which makes trains capable of operating automatically at all times, including door closing, obstacle detection and emergency situations.
Siemens Mobility CBTC solution is used for automatic train control around the world in cities like Sao Paulo, Paris, Beijing, Singapore, and New York.
Increased Frequency and Safety
CBTC technology will let system operators securely increase vehicle numbers on a rail line as it provides real-time data on vehicle position and speed conditions. With the help of automated signalling and train operations, BMRCL will be able to operate trains 90 seconds apart.
About the Company: Siemens Mobility GmBH also known as Siemens Transportation Systems is a separately-managed company of Siemens A.G. It was constituted due to a corporate restructuring effective from 1 August 2018. Its global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. The company has four core business units: Mobility Management (dedicated to rail technology and intelligent traffic systems), Railway Electrification, Rolling Stock, and Customer Services. Its last known revenue for financial year 2018-19 was 880 Crore Euros.