Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has flagged off its first Phase-1 metro train equipped with an anti-drag safety feature for passenger operation, marking a new passenger safety upgrade for commuters.
The train was flagged off by Manoj Goyal, Director (Systems and Operations), in the presence of senior CMRL officials and representatives from Faiveley Transport Rail Technologies India Pvt Ltd and Alstom Transport India Limited.
The anti-drag feature has been incorporated into the automatic sliding saloon doors of CMRL Phase-1 trains as an additional safety layer over the existing obstacle detection system.
According to CMRL, the feature has been customised for Indian conditions, where garments such as sarees, shawls and dupattas may accidentally get trapped in closing train doors.
Read also : Alwar station redevelopment gains pace as Railways launches ₹400 crore Rajasthan infra push
The system detects pulling force in any direction when a garment or object is caught between the doors. Once such force is detected, the train brakes are applied automatically and train movement is stopped.
The affected door then reopens to release the trapped object. After the obstruction is cleared, normal train operations resume.
CMRL said the implementation marks the first use of the anti-drag safety feature in an Indian metro system and is probably the first such implementation in the world in accordance with the latest version of the international standard EN 14752:2025.
The feature has been jointly developed and integrated by Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Faiveley Transport Rail Technologies India Pvt Ltd, Hosur, and Alstom Transport India Limited, Bengaluru, for Chennai Metro.
Following the flagging-off of the first equipped train, CMRL is working to implement the anti-drag feature across the remaining 51 trains of Phase-1.
The upgrade is expected to strengthen passenger safety by reducing risks linked to trapped garments or objects during train door closure, especially in crowded operating conditions.
