Delhi: Gearing up for future Demand

V. K. J. RANE – IRSE (Retd.) Ex-M.D./IRCON
F-5, 2nd floor, 48/49 Grafikon Paradise, NIBM Road, Kondhwa Khurd, Pune - 411 048
Tel: (020) 2685 4132, Mobile: 093710 05396 Email: vkjrane1930@hotmail.com
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Date 15th March 2010

To
The Editor
Indian Express
Pune – 01

Sub - Delhi: Gearing up for future Demand

Dear Sir

Your kind attention is drawn to the press cutting published in Indian Express dated 14.03.10 at page 20 under the heading “Delhi: Gearing up for future Demand”

I would like to give the following comments on the above article pertaining to “Delhi Metro Rail”

DMRC--“Conceived with a vision to give Delhi a smart, modern and eco-friendly way to travel, the Delhi Metro has today emerged as one of the world's most effective and successful rail-based mass transport systems.”

It is presumed that the statements made in connection with Delhi Metro Rail are furnished by DMRC organization. This is a nice way of self magnification of its image which has been adversely criticized in all aspects of construction and operation by the recent CAG report of Sept 2008 for Phase-I of Delhi Metro Rail. The commuters travelling during peak hours have also adversely commented upon the limited capacity coaches with ineffective air conditioning, makes the travel most uncomfortable and prefer to adopt other modes of transport. The international standards are far different than the performance standards of Delhi Metro Rail.

DMRC--“DMRC opened its first corridor be¬tween Shahdara and Tees Hazari on the 25th of December, 2002.”

CAG has commented on the above corridor that within a period of 5 years the wheels have cracked and the flooring of the rolling stock has also shown cracks due to fatigue. One wonders whether the rolling stock procured was refurbished old coaches sold at price of new coaches. The public should go through the adverse comments of CAG on DMRC’s management of Delhi Metro Rail, Phase-I, which blows off the self inflated balloon of DMRCs image. The records of the tests carried out on the quality of concrete have been disposed off by the management for want of space, so that CAG was unable to go through such records, the standards for which were lowered for acceptability.

DMRC--In the second phase, DMRC is now constructing another 125 kilometers of Metro lines which is scheduled to be finished by October, 2010.

On the second phase under construction, 87 cantilevers of the supporting system of the Metro rail on 5 corridors of Phase-II, have been cracked before placement of live load of the train and are being repaired for opening the section to traffic in Oct 2010. According to British Specifications (BS-5400) applicable for Metro Rail Projects, the life of the substructure has to be a minimum of 120 years. With the repairs to the substructure, what would be the durability life of such metro rail piers need to be investigated. In addition 18 concrete columns of Phase-II, Metro Rail under construction have exhibited severe vertical cracks, which are now being strengthened by DMRC, and hope the public will forget about these weak supporting structures when these lines are opened to traffic for operations.

DMRC--The Delhi Metro is today rated as one of the most modern Metro systems internationally with state of the art trains and modern sig¬naling systems.

It is not known who has rated Delhi Metro Rail as the most modern Metro system Internationally? The 21st Century, the best in the world technology has been provided on BART Metro in San Francisco USA, opened to traffic in the year 2003, on Broad Gauge (BG) system. What we have adopted on Delhi Metro Rail, is the 19th & 20th Century systems on Standard Gauge (SG), by adopting a low capacity high cost system. The signaling system adopted is for 2min frequency which will not be operated for the next 30 years on Delhi Metro Rail systems. 70% of this signaling system will have to be replaced within a period of 16 years. Investment on such advance signaling system would be of the order of Rs 200cr on a 30km track system. For the standard of operation adopted for Delhi Metro Rail, which is of the order of 5 min headway between trains, normal color light signaling adopted on the Mumbai Suburban System under operation at 3min headway would have been sufficient. It is unfortunate that DMRC under the misguidance of international manufactures and consultants have fallen into their trap, to adopt an abnormally high cost low capacity imported coaches on SG, whose capacity life is restricted to 25 years only, as confirmed by DMRC, instead of adopting a low cost high capacity BG indigenous coach system available within the country and with utter disregards to the advise of Indian Railways, which has declared BG as the national gauge for all railway systems. DMRC has been successful in misguiding the bureaucracy and the politicians of the country, who have surrendered to the views of the overseas advisors activated through DMRC, without looking into the techno-economic merits as well as the advice of the Indian Railways. The urban Ministry, at the center is not willing to give reasons for adopting such a course of action by the Union Govt. even under RTI. This aspects needs to be looked into and made known to the citizens, as large amount of funds have been given for Metro Rail Constructions as subsidy to the private investor, which they have utilized for procurement of imported rolling stock and track in the form of foreign exchange. The citizens feel that this action and decision of the Central Govt. operated through DMRCs advice is not in national interest and has to be stopped forthwith by the Finance Minister, particularly in the interest of eliminating wasteful foreign exchange of the country.
DMRC--The DMRC is one of the few Metros making operational profit from the beginning with a very high rate of economic return.

The above statement is misguiding and the operational profit shown are only due to the sale of land for commercial exploitation. The actual operating performance of revenue against expenditure needs to be looked into.

DMRC has been making statements on various technical, economical and general issues without supporting evidence / justification and unfortunately such statements are accepted by the Govt. Time has come, when the activities of DMRC have to be seen by experts within the country in all aspects of construction, operation, maintenance technical feasibility and economic viability of the metro rail projects which has resulted in not only high fares to the commuters but also abnormal increase in taxation to the citizens.

With warm regards

V K J Rane – IRSE (Retd.)
Ex-MD/IRCON