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14 Reasons why the Delhi Metro has been the best thing that happened to Delhiites

Narendra Shah
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14 Reasons why the Delhi Metro has been the best thing that happened to Delhiites

“Yaar, kitne log hain.”

“I hate changing lines man. Such a pain”

“God I wish I had a car. I hate standing.”

You’ve faced these first world problems on the Delhi metro. But that’s all they are — first world problems. We’re so accustomed to our daily metro routine that we’ve forgotten to appreciate this sheer awesomeness that runs all over Saddi Dilli.

With the new 60km Delhi Metro line connecting Noida, Greater Noida in the offing, a lot can be said about all that this invention of E Sreedharan has given us.

Need a quick recap? Here you go:

  1. No traffic jams in Metro land.

Traffic kills you overhead, while under the ground the metro cruises along smoothly. Result? What takes you one hour by road, takes you 20 minutes by metro.

  1. As you walk in, the cool air greets you.

Think Delhi summers and you’ll agree that the A/C in metro makes life a lot easier.

 Not to forget the freezing winters where some human warmth is rather welcome.

  1. Even the lazy can travel easy.

Yes, you may have to push your way in or out but hey if you live in Delhi you’ve probably found novel methods to counter claustrophobia by now.

  1. You can go on aDilli Darshan without burning a hole in your pocket.

You spend more on a 600ml coke (Rs 35) than you do travelling the crazy distance from Vishwavidyalaya/DU North Campus to Huda City Centre/Gurgaon’s last station. (Rs 28)

  1. Mother Nature will thank you.

This definitely appeals to the environment conscious. Plus remember how much it hurts when you fish out Rs 500 notes from your wallet for petrol? Yeah, now take the metro.

  1. You don’t even realise the distance you’ve travelled before you step out.

Just find a quiet corner and plug in. All the metro is a music video now…and you’ve reached.

  1. You think of an inconvenience, and soon enough it’s solved!

DMRC has introduced snazzy, silvery buses to connect your locality to the nearest metro station.

Oh and don’t forget the Rapid Metro line in NCR. You can even use your regular metro card to travel by it.

  1. There probably is a station under construction near your house.

The Delhi Metro is constantly expanding. The metro line that connects Yellow Line to Violet Line via Mandi House station was the last one to start. And chances are you’ve taken it.

  1. Too many people? No problem…Ek jaati hai toh…

The metro trains are so frequent that you technically never “miss” a train. They’re definitely a lot more regularly available than a bus or an auto in Delhi.

  1. No cause for panic.

Even late in the night or early morning, a metro coach is never completely deserted. For those who want to travel safe, Delhi Metro is a good idea.

Plus there’s always a cop around.

  1. Plus it’s web-friendly.

You can recharge your metro card on the DMRC website. As easy as buying clothes off the internet, but far more useful.

Plus there’s a Delhi Metro app that actually works.

  1. You find it surprisingly CLEAN. 

Name one other public transport authority in India that actually maintains cleanliness? Please don’t say Airports Authority of India. They don’t really have that big a littering issue.

  1. Speaking of airports, did you know that DMRC has cut down on its Airport Express Line fares?

Yep, yep.

  1. And wherever you go, you’ll find yourself missing it.

“Arre yaar, Delhi Metro kitna sahi tha!”

So don’t dis your friend in need and continue using public transport.

Oh and please mind the gap.

(Wriiten by: Ms. Durga M. Sengupta)

Tram Metro: YEIDA allotted Rs 7,580cr to Tram Metro in Master Plan

Narendra Shah
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Greater Noida: The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority’s (YEIDA) board on Wednesday approved the budget for a multi-modal transport system, along with a master plan for essential services including electrification, sewage, water, drainage. The board has allocated Rs 7,580 crore for the master plan.

“The tram and Metro services have been proposed to facilitate seamless movement between Greater Noida and Noida. Once the technical and economic feasibility is prepared, proposals will be invited and e-tenders initiated before finalizing a detailed project report,” said P C Gupta, CEO, YEIDA.

“This could take 3-4 months, after which we will be able to work out the project’s length and cost,” Gupta said.

YEIDA is also set to sign a MoU for the proposed 20.6-km Metro corridor between Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is already conducting surveys and studies for the technical and economic feasibility of the route, said Gupta.

The Authority also approved allotments for eight petrol pumps, built-up shops and commercial plots in Sector 22A, besides group housing plots, plots for dairy and poultry, as well as clearing the transfer of a 48-hecatre plot to the National Highways Authority of India for an interchange on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

Nagpur Metro: Maharashtra Airport Development Company has handed over 37 hectare land to Metro

Narendra Shah
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Nagpur: Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has handed over 37 hectare land to Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) for construction of metro rail depot and corridor. NMRCL will get another 25 hectare land belonging to State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) in Jaitala area on Friday. The two combined make for 80% of NMRCL’s land requirement.

Brajesh Dixit, managing director of NMRCL, said that the rest of the required land in the middle of the road. “We have got in-principle approval for acquiring this land from state and central governments. In a way, 99% land is available with us. Very little private land is required,” he told TOI.

Dixit said that NMRCL will not pay anything to MADC for the land. “State government will pay for it and it will be a book adjustment,” he added.

NMRCL was to be registered on Tuesday but as the server of ministry of corporate affairs was down, the work was not over by Wednesday evening. Once the company is registered, a board meeting will be held and from that day the company will start functioning, at least on paper. “The date of meeting will have to fixed when all the ten board members are available. Four are from New Delhi, one from Kochi, two from Mumbai and three from the city,” Dixit said.

“We will appoint a consultant for preparing the design for our priority section from Airport to Khapri. This consultant will also prepare a tender to appoint the second consultant, which will handle the entire project,” he said.

“Airport-Khapri section will be built first because it is the easiest.

More importantly, testing of the rolling stock, signaling and traction system will be done on this stretch. These things have to work together but are manufactured by different companies. The integration has to be done, which takes six to eight months,” he said, adding that by the time testing is successful, rest of the metro corridor will be ready.

On alignment survey, Dixit said that it was being done by erecting small poles in the middle of the road. “The survey of stretch from Automotive Square to Sitabuldi and Aiport to Khapri is over. It is going on for Sitabuldi to Airport stretch. On the other corridor we will start the Prajapati Nagar-Sitabuldi and then the Sitabuldi-Lokmanya Nagar one,” he elaborated.

“This exercise is done so that the alignment is perfect. Any defect in alignment proves costly during the construction,” he pointed out. (Courtesy: TOI)

Hyderabad Metro: Rail over Bridge work begins in Hyderabad

Narendra Shah
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Hyderabad: As part of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, works on a Rail over Bridge (RoB) were launched at Bharatnagar here on Wednesday. The facility is expected to be ready in two and half months for which the railway traffic would be closed for three hours, twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

L&T Metro Rail Chief Executive V.B. Gadgil, HMR Managing Director N.V.S.Reddy and SCR General Manager P.K.Srivastava were present at the programme and Mr. Reddy said that the Metro Rail would be crossing the railway tracks at eight locations in the city and works on seven others would commence soon.

Mr.Gadgil described commencement of work on Metro Rail overbridges as a crucial activity for the project and a lot of logistics had been going in to ensure safe setting up of the facility. Since the railway tracks were already on elevated bridges at Malakpet, Alugadda Bavi, Chilkalguda, Oliphanta Bridge and Bhoiguda, the RoBs would cross these railway bridges at double elevation. (Courtesy: The Hindu)

Light Rail Project: Govt. of Madhya Pradesh okays set up of Metro Rail Company

Narendra Shah
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BHOPAL: State cabinet chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday gave green signal to constitute Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Company for implementation of light metro projects in Bhopal and Indore. Recently in the urban civic polls, the light metro was part of both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress’ manifesto.

Board of directors of the state metro rail company will be headed by the chief minister while minister for urban development Kailash Vijayvargiya will be its vice-chairman. Company will also constitute an executive committee comprising of mayors of Bhopal and Indore, state chief secretary and other officers.

In another major decision, cabinet sanctioned re-densification of the congested north and south TT Nagar in Bhopal. Minister for health and state spokesman Narottam Mishra said, “There are 2,767 dilapidated government quarters of different categories in this part of the town. Under the re-densification scheme, private investors will demolish existing houses and construct 4,284 houses of various categories and hand them over to the state government.”

Cabinet also approved work of urban infrastructure by Bhopal Development Authority (BDA) including 1.53 kilometre long flyover, 0.94 km long grade separator, new building of Kamla Nehru School, construction of new roads and widening of old thoroughfares. A sum of Rs 1,250 crore will be spent on construction of houses. Estimated cost of works to be undertaken by the authority is Rs 454 crore.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan government also decided to give promotions to assistant veterinary field officers of animal husbandry department. Earlier, there was no promotion channel for this cadre. They retired from the same post on which they are recruited. Narottam Mishra explained following Tuesday’s cabinet decision, an assistant veterinary officer can now be promoted through upgradation of post after 12 year service.

Veterinary field officers will be promoted as senior veterinary field officers after 10-year service and the same officers will be promoted as livestock zonal officers after 8-year service. The posts created include 1,100 of veterinary field officer, 308 of senior veterinary field officer and 77 posts of livestock zonal officer.

Cabinet also revised decision of October 2009 on allotment of land to Central Schools. Now Central Schools will be allotted 4 acre land in municipal corporation areas, 8 acres in other urban areas and up to 10 acres in other areas at Re one as lease rent. (TOI)

Light Metro: Light rail in Indore & Bhopal likely before 2018

Narendra Shah
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BHOPAL: The proposed light metro rail system in Indore and Bhopal cities are planned to be launched before 2018, Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijaywargiya said today.

“If everything goes as per the plan, then I am confident that the light metro rail system will commence its operations in Indore and Bhopal before 2018, which will be the first such project in the country,” Vijaywargiya told reporters.

The light metro services will then be introduced in Jabalpur and Gwalior to meet the growing demand of a viable public transport system, the Urban Administration and Development Minister said.

According to him, Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for the first phase of the Indore and Bhopal projects are currently being prepared, while pre-feasibility studies are being conducted for Jabalpur and Gwalior projects.

Talking about the Simhastha Kumbha Mela that will be held in Ujjain in 2016, Vijaywargiya, who is in-charge of the religious mega event, said the state government has sanctioned Rs 1,750 crore for 255 infrastructure-related works.

“This time the government has planned to organise ‘Green Simhastha’, under which only the vehicles running on bio-fuels will ply in the mela area. There will also be a ban on use of polythene there,” the minister said.

He also informed that an international-level seminar on Yoga will be organised during the event.

In order to develop infrastructure in the cities, the government has started Chief Minister Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme, Chief Minister Urban Drinking Water Scheme and Chief Minister Urban Cleanliness Mission, Vijaywargiya said.

Light Metro: Three-member panel to review DPR for light metro in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

Narendra Shah
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 Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala state government has constituted a three-member committee to review the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed light metro in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. The decision came at a time when the general consultant of the project, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC), has been complaining about the delay from the part of the government in approving the DPR it submitted in October last. There has been widespread criticism over the feasibility of the project since it was proposed.

The committee, which consists of finance secretary K M Abraham, PWD secretary A P M Mohammed Hanish and MD of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation P I Sheik Pareeth, has been directed by the government to have negotiations with the DMRC and reach an understanding on the progress of the project, sources said.

The finance department has major reservations about the project, which is a reason for the delay in approving the DPR. Abraham is learned to have demanded clarity on the financial structuring of the project. Sources close to PWD said that the new development is a proof that state government has apprehensions about the project. A detailed note on the impracticalities on the financial model had been prepared by the finance department and submitted to the government for approval.

“Though DMRC principal adviser E Sreedharan has conducted several presentations, most officials and people’s representatives are not yet convinced about the project. The formation of a committee, instead of approving the DPR, shows that the government is cautious,” sources said.

TOI had reported the flaws in the DPR. The DPR does not have clarity about the technology to be used for the project. Earlier, a report prepared by DMRC had rejected light metro for Thiruvananthapuram citing its sharp curves and steep gradients. Though PWD minister V K Ebrahim Kunju informed assembly that linear propulsion system will be used for light metro, DMRC later denied it. Apart from technical specifications, concerns were raised against the move to award turnkey consultancy to DMRC without calling tender, which is a violation of guidelines of central vigilance commission.

Sources said that since the term of state government and newly appointed chief secretary would end in a year, priorities are given to projects that can be completed in a year.

PWD secretary Mohammed Hanish said that more clarity was need on whether to implement light metro or revive the monorail project. (TOI)

Delhi Metro: DMRC corridors in different stretches lack infrastucture

Narendra Shah
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New Delhi: It’s not just the Gurgaon or Noida lines of the Delhi Metro network that are crowded and tough to travel on during peak hours. Commuters travelling on the Mundka to Inderlok/Kirti Nagar corridor have a similar experience every day, despite having a daily ridership of barely one lakh. It’s no better on the Violet line—Central Secretariat to Badarpur—where commuters complain of having to fight for space. The reason—in the past one year, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation hasn’t added a single coach, forget a train, to either of these corridors.

Vidhuyat Sharma, a resident of Nangloi who travels everyday to Rajouri Garden, said, “I take the train in the morning around 8.30 am daily. It’s so crowded that I have to leave at least one train, so that I can take the next one which hopefully would be less crowded. This is a daily problem.” Much like Sharma, Rupa Gulati, who takes the train from Noida to Lajpat Nagar frequently, says that trains are usually crowded, especially during peak hours. “All the trains are four-coach trains, so there’s not much space. When I travel from Noida, I get the eight-coach train which makes it less crowded. But on the Violet line, I am yet to see a single eight-coach train,” says Gulati, who is a shop assistant in Lajpat Nagar.

According to Delhi Metro, there are only 18 trains on the Green line, of which all save one are four-coach trains. On the Violet line, there are 29 four-coach trains and only one six-coach train. The reason, said officials in Delhi Metro, is the low ridership on these two corridors. Incidentally, ridership on both these corridors has gone up substantially over the past year. For instance, the total ridership on line 5 was 8,48,895 in 2013 but went up to 9,70,032 by 2014. Similarly, on the Violet line, the ridership according to DMRC was 16,79,090 in 2013 but went to 19,48,516 during the same period in 2014.

However, the number of trains added to either of these two corridors between January and December 2014 was zero. According to Delhi Metro, the number of coaches on line 5 is a grand total of 74 cars or 18 trains while on line 6, the total number of cars is 122 spread over 30 trains. Both corridors have one six-coach train plying on the line every day. In contrast, daily ridership of the Mundka to Inderlok/Kirti Nagar corridor is 99,357 while that of the Central Secretariat-to-Badarpur corridor is 2.18 lakh.

The Green line consists of 17 stations including an interchange station covering a total length of 18.46km. This line is going to be extended further from Mundka to Bahadurgarh in Haryana in the future.

The Violet line was opened in 2011 and is to be extended till the interiors of Faridabad from Badarpur side. It has 16 stations.

Hyderabad Metro: HMRL has hit a new road block with the new Central Metro Act

Narendra Shah
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Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro rail has hit a new road block with the new Central Metro Act derecognising the concessionaire agreement between the state government and Larsen & Toubro to execute the project under a public-private partnership (PPP).

As there is no provision for the PPP model in the new Act, the Union urban development ministry now has to decide upon the Metro rail administrator (MRA) or owner of the project. While this has cast a shadow on the inauguration of the first stage between Nagole and Mettuguda on March 21, the state government has written to the Union urban development ministry and requested to expedite the process.

“In the first place, we have requested the Union urban development ministry to save our concessionaire agreement so that we can continue executing the Metro project under the PPP model,” said NVS Reddy, HMRL managing director.

While it takes a lot of procedural steps including an amendment to the Act, sources said that the Centre is unlikely to change the provision to include the PPP model to execute the Metro project. In such an event, there would be a big question mark about the position of L&T which has already invested more than Rs 6,000 crore into the project. The project cost was initially estimated at Rs 14,132 crore, but is now said to have reached Rs 20,000 crore.

While earlier, the Hyderabad Metro rail project was erroneously implemented under the provision of the Tramways Act, the Centre, in a bid to rectify the error, notified the project under the Central Metro Act last October which is applicable for all Metro rail projects in the country. The rectification, however, resulted in the ambiguity over the ownership of the project as the PPP model has no place in the new Act.

Interestingly, the development comes amidst the controversy over K Chandrasekhar Rao insisting on realignment of the project and L&T offering to quit complaining of harassment from the state government. The Centre’s decision to bring the project under the direct supervision of the project monitor group (PMG) which works under the PMO and notifying it under the new Central Metro Act is being viewed by some as steps leading to its eventual takeover by the state government

VB Gadgil, chief executive of L&T Metro rail (Hyderabad), however, ruled out the possibility of his company walking away. He said, “Naturally there are many procedural issues that need to be addressed when the governing Act is changed. It is up to the government to take a call and make a quick decision.”

The main concern, however, is about the slow nature of legislative procedures that could impact the project’s schedule. Officials in the state municipal administration and urban development department (MA&UD) said that they are worried that the project might not meet the March 21 deadline to commission the first stage, an 8-km stretch between Nagole and Mettuguda, timed with Ugadi.

“The train has completed the trial run on the Nagole-Mettuguda stretch and the Research Designs & Standards Organization (RDSO) has completed its mandatory tests for clearances. At this stage, the ownership ambiguity has come as a big dampener,” said an MA&UD official. As per norms, the MRA of the project has to apply for safety certification of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) after receiving RDSO clearance.

But, the hitch is that, the CRS will not accept the application unless it comes from the MRA. “If there is delay in deciding who the MRA is, then there will be delay in applying for CRS clearance. That means, there is a possibility of the project missing the March 21 milestone, while the bigger issue of the very ownership of the project stays,” said the official.

Metro Rail News team congratulates Arvind Kejriwal for great performance of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Assembly Election.

Narendra Shah
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Dear Arvind Kejriwal Ji,
I am writing this letter on behalf of the editorial team of Metro Rail News Online. Through this letter, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you and your party volunteers for splendid performance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly Election 2015. Our organization is proud to have a distinguished and a hard working Chief Minister for Delhi like you.

With this letter, we do not want to miss the opportunity to congratulate and send our heartiest wishes to you on the recent achievement that you have made in the Delhi Assembly Election. We are confident that your influence will continue to encourage our proud tradition of involvement in worthwhile political causes.
We once again congratulate you and your entire team for great performance in Delhi Assembly Election and we look forward to see you prospering in future. You have really worked hard and have proved your capabilities and potentials amongst everyone.
We wish you all the best as you represent us.
Regards,
Editor-in-Chief
Metro Rail News Online

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