"The metro is flourishing in India. Projects in the
cities of Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad will see over 450 kilometers
of metro lines built by 2020”
When Mr. E Sreedharan took over as the managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in November 1997, two doubts were raised about the subway rail venture: was it worth the effort? Equally important, would it finish on time?
After all, putting together a subway railway system in a crowded metropolitan city isn’t easy. A large number of utilities like water pipes, sewerage lines, and telephone and electric cables need to be relocated to facilitate the construction work; people have to be relocated…. In fact, India’s first metro project in the eastern city of Kolkata took more than
25
years to complete. In the case of Delhi, as many as 35 studies have been done
on the transport problems of Delhi since 1950 – and a number have suggested the
Metro Rail for a solution in Delhi.
Environmental and social benefits
DMRC has provided significant environmental and social benefits to the city. According to a recent study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), these benefits will help recover the full cost of Phase I by 2013. These benefits are a result of several factors including:
• Passenger time saved
• Fuel costs saved
• Reduction in capital and operating costs of vehicles
• Reduction in environmental damage
• Time savings
• Lower maintenance costs for infrastructure
• Reduction in road accidents
• Improvement in road traffic conditions
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Since DMRC began operations in December 2002, there has been a progressive reduction in daily vehicle demand. By the end of 2007, the Metro will have taken the load of 40,000 vehicles.
The Metro has also resulted in reduced consumption of petrol, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG): by the end of this year 57,858 tonnes will have been saved. Future developments include plans to establish fare integration with the bus system operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation, a Government undertaking, and the future LRT system.
Preliminary steps in this
direction have already been taken and plans are underway to integrate fares
with a fleet of feeder buses, owned by DMRC itself.
One hundred per cent punctual operations
- At present, DMRC has 70 train-sets consisting of four coaches each. Over 1,200 train trips operate from 6 am to 11 pm with a punctuality rate of nearly 100%.
- The Delhi Metro has very lean staff strength of just 45 employees per km, making it comparable to the best in the world. Over 0.6 million commuters travel on the system every day and DMRC has an enviable safety record in nearly five years of operation.