Due to affect of the COVID-19 pandemic, “fresh targets” have been set for Ph-IV undertaking of the Delhi Metro, and the primary part of a precedence hall is deliberate to be opened by July 2024, DMRC chief Vikas Kumar mentioned.
In an interview to PTI, Kumar additionally mentioned that in addition to commissioning of a small 2.5-3 km phase of the Janakpuri West-R Ok Ashram Marg hall, the entire Majlis Park-Maujpur hall is deliberate to be opened by March 2025.
The managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) mentioned the development of the Ph-IV has introduced many firsts for the nation, and “beam technology-enabled TBMs” are getting used within the part to assess strata layers prematurely in order that “there are no surprises” through the drilling course of.
The work on Ph-IV, which had begun in December 2019, was hit due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 in Delhi.
At current, the DMRC is enterprise building work on 65.2 km of three precedence corridors spanning 45 stations below the undertaking Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg (28.92 km), Majlis Park-Maujpur (12.55 km), that are extensions of the already operational Magenta Line and Pink Line, and Aerocity-Tughlakabad (23.62 km) that’s being constructed as ‘Silver Line’, connecting the operational Violet Line and Airport Line from the respective ends. “Because of COVID-19, fresh targets were set, and we are on the road for those targets. I can tell you the first section which we are going to open Janakpuri West to Krishna Park (Extension). That is a small stretch, but we are planning to open it by July 2024. It is about 2.5-3 km in length. The next in line is the whole stretch of Majlis Park-Maujpur by March 2025,” Kumar instructed PTI.
Asked what’s the general share of work that has been accomplished on this part of Delhi Metro, the DMRC chief mentioned, “overall about 40 per cent work has been done”. Official sources mentioned the complete Janakpuri West-R Ok Ashram Marg hall and Aerocity-Tughlakabad hall are anticipated to be commissioned by March 2026.
The DMRC had initially deliberate to full the Ph-IV undertaking by December 2024. “I don’t see any major cost overrun, due to the pandemic. But, delay, as I told you, we have already shifted the milestones,” Kumar mentioned.
Asked in regards to the present monetary well being of the DMRC, he mentioned there was a huge effect on it due to the pandemic.”We incurred losses for 2 years. Third 12 months, the truth is, we have been simply ready to break even, say, operational surplus of round Rs 50 crore or so. Now, the approaching 12 months, we expect a surplus of possibly Rs 600 cr. We are, the truth is, inching again in direction of the traditional,” Kumar mentioned.
The DMRC, which began its first operations in December 2002, hopes to improve its footprints in different actions like consultancy overseas in addition to in India, he mentioned. “We are also aggressively doing non-fare revenue business. Let’s see, the future seems to be quite promising,” the DMRC chief asserted.
He mentioned the typical ridership of Delhi Metro is round 64 lakh. More persons are utilizing metro companies now, so it’s a excellent signal for the DMRC and for the National Capital Region (NCR), he added. A senior official mentioned, the pre-Covid ridership (journeys or line utilisation) was about 60 lakh.
The Delhi Metro on September 4 had registered the highest-ever depend of day by day passenger journeys 71.03 lakh. “Ridership amounts to about 70 per cent of our revenues. Other than this, we are also going for non-fare revenues, how to collect more revenues, by leasing out more spaces,” he added.
Kumar, who took cost because the third MD of the DMRC on April 1, 2022, mentioned the Delhi Metro in its over twenty years of journey has not solely linked folks but additionally empowered them, particularly ladies who now journey with none sense of worry utilizing metro companies even at night time. “Most important thing is the speed with which we have developed this infrastructure. And the culture that we brought in. There may be chaos outside, but inside people are disciplined… they are proud of the system, they own the system. This is one of our greatest achievements,” he mentioned.
When requested about DMRC’s main achievements, he mentioned there have been many milestones because the Delhi Metro has been a pioneer in bringing in lots of applied sciences from its inception. “We brought contactless tokens and contactless cards for the first time in India. We were again pioneers on getting carbon credits out of our regenerative braking. And 35 per cent of our energy requirements comes through solar energy. Unmanned train operations we brought on for the first time in India,” the DMRC chief asserted.
DMRC practice operations in unmanned practice operation (UTO) mode are operating on Magenta Line and Pink Line at present. However, practice attendants additionally sit throughout operations with a plan to make the practice operation absolutely unmanned in future. “Right now, a train attendant is sitting, but we are in advanced stages… because to remove that we need approval of the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety. Our teams are working on that and we will be doing it shortly,” Kumar mentioned.
He mentioned that in Ph-4, operations can be UTO-enabled, initially with practice attendants. This may even be completed for all future strains of the DMRC, the official added. Asked if the Delhi Metro plans to make a foray into the NCR past Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram, sooner or later, the highest official of the DMRC mentioned, “Our next priority would be the three balance corridors of Ph-IV and improving connectivity further in the region, first.” The different three proposed corridors which haven’t but been accepted by the Union Cabinet are Rithala-Bawana-Narela, Inderlok-Indraprastha and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block.
“The Inderlok-Indraprastha and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block corridors are in advanced stages of approval, and we are awaiting the cabinet nod. The third proposed corridor will be extended till Kundli (in Haryana). Its DPR is in very advanced stages, and we would be submitting it to MoHUA for their appraisal,” the DMRC chief mentioned. Kumar, a 1988-batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service, additionally touched upon the multi-modal transport methods that Indian Railways, Delhi Metro and the Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) will herald.
A 17-km precedence hall of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS hall was lately inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”Wherever RRTS stations are arising close to our stations, we’re going to develop a seamless passenger interchange, in order that they will simply interchange between RRTS and Metro. And, additionally with Indian Railways, at Sarai Kake Khan, we can have an interchange with Indian railways additionally,” he added.
Kumar mentioned the DMRC can be a forerunner when it comes to ‘Atmanirbharta’ and it already has the i-ATS (indigenous-Automatic Train Supervision System). “As a second step, we are now going in for a complete signalling system, i-CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) system. And, our target is to have that system available by 2025,” the DMRC chief mentioned.
“In ATS, we have become the sixth nation in the world to have it. And, for CBTC also, we will be the sixth country in the world to have it,” he added.
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – PTI)
