Kolkata, Jan 27 (IANS) Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi Friday announced that the Kolkata Metro and the suburban system will get new automatic signalling systems and all the old trains of both systems will be changed soon.

“We will introduce TPWS (Train Protection and Warning System) in the Kolkata Metro by March-April. This system enables the train to stop automatically when there is a red light even if the driver fails to stop the train,” Trivedi told reporters.

“The Kolkata Metro will have all new rakes by the middle of this year, except a few rakes which can be refurbished. All the rakes have outlived their span,” he said.

The minister said most of the new Metro rakes will be air conditioned. “We want all the rakes to look bright, new and modern… All the rakes have outlived their utility,” he said.

Trivedi also lauded Kolkata’s sub-urban train system for surpassing the Mumbai suburban train system in terms of punctuality.

“We want to change all the rakes of suburban trains also. The suburban trains have surpassed the punctuality of Mumbai. In Mumbai, it is 96 percent. Here it is 99 percent,” said Trivedi.

However, the minister said the emphasis was more on safety than punctuality. “And 100 percent safety can only come once we automate the system. We need to modernize the entire suburban system,” he said.

Trivedi said a coordination committee has been formed to oversee the progress of the announced projects in West Bengal.