Delhi Metro, India

Stifling road traffic congestion in Delhi, population approx. 16 million, had become an economic liability. With more motor vehicles than Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai combined, overcrowding and pollution was threatening the capital's ability to reach its potential in the rapidly expanding Indian economy.

Calcutta/Kolkata opened India's first metro (16.5km) in 1984, but that project had not inspired confidence in the national government to promote further schemes.

THE PROJECT

After more than 40 years of studies into a rail-based mass transit system, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) began construction on 1 October 1998.

On 25 December 2002, the first section of Line 1 from Shahdara to Tis-Hazari was opened.

Principal funding has been by a loan from Japan and Indian public funds (as equity). By November 2006, all three lines in Phase 1 totalling 65km (40.4 miles) were operational, three years ahead of schedule. The multi-line operation appears to be stimulating Metro take-up, with 43% reporting the use of at least two trains per trip by autumn 2007.

Delhi Metro was designed to be integrated with other public transport and DMRC signed an agreement with bus operator Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to integrate management and through-ticketing.

However, a limited take-up has led DMRC itself to supply around 200 buses of a quality consistent with Metro operations to work feeder routes to stations.

Selected private bus operators will pay back DMRC over five years. There are 18 designated parking sites at Metro stations to further encourage use of the system.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Line 1 begins at Sharada in the east and was extended to 22km (18 stations) in March 2004 with the inauguration of the entirely elevated Inder Lok-Rithala section.

Line 2 between Vishwa Vidyalaya (Delhi University, North Campus) and Central Secretariat, is underground for its entire 11km length, passing through the city centre and business district at Connaught Place. Stations, 12.85m below ground, were built by cut-and-cover methods except at Chawri Bazar (20m down) where tunnelling was employed.

Line 3, 33.5km long, is mostly elevated or at grade with a short underground section in central New Delhi, and intersects with Line 2 at Connaught Place. It does not connect with Line 1, and runs westwards from Barakhamba Road in the city centre to the western township of Dwarka.

There are escalators and elevators at all stations, with tactile tiles to guide the visually impaired from outside the stations to the trains.

A challenging construction project was Mandi House on Line 3, managed by British company Mott Macdonald. Located under Sikandra Road, an important and busy thoroughfare, much of the station had to be built top-down, with the diaphragm wall panels built from ground level to form the permanent walls of the station. As part of their environmental policy, many Delhi Metro stations are equipped for rainwater collection.

ROLLING STOCK

RThe first wave of rolling stock was manufactured by a consortium comprising Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. Initial sets were built by ROTEM in South Korea, with later examples completed in India by public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).

The air-conditioned trains consist of 3.2m-wide, stainless steel, lightweight coaches with gangways, running in four-coach formations, although eight is possible.

Each was expected to accommodate about 1,500 people, 240 being seated. Maximum speed is 80km/h (50mph), with a 20-second dwell time at stations.

Line 1 service intervals are eight to ten minutes, although the design capacity is two minutes. Stock allocation in 2007 was 23 trains (Line 1), 13 (Line 2) and 24 (Line 3).

In March 2008 Bombardier Transportation announced an €87m ($137m) contract for 84 MOVIA metro cars, a follow-on to the 340 ordered in July 2007. The new vehicles are to be deployed on the Phase 2 expansion, for which application DMRC has requested a changed configuration to 37 four-car sets and 46 six-car sets. Bombardier is creating an Indian manufacturing facility for assembly of the coaches and bogies at Savli in South Gujarat, and first deliveries are expected in late 2008.

SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Power is 25kV a.c. overhead supply under rigid equipment on underground sections, flexible elsewhere. There is Centralised Automatic Train Control (CATC) comprising Automatic Train Operation (ATO), Automatic Train Protection (ATP) and Automatic Train Signalling (ATS) systems.

Emergency communication between the passengers and the driver is provided in each coach, and on-train announcements are in Hindi and English. There are route maps and LCD display systems in every coach. Security is supported by CCTV cameras at stations.

Fare collection is through contactless, stored-value smartcards. The Metro has its own police force, and a training school at Shastri Park is run in association with Hong Kong MTR for operational and maintenance staff.

In October 2007 DMRC awarded Bombardier Transportation a $43m contract for the design, manufacture, supply, installation and testing of signalling equipment. The CITYFLO 350 system will be installed on 37km of two new line sections of the Phase II expansion.

THE FUTURE

Although by 2007 the system was operating at below projected passenger levels, partly ascribed to train capacity proving lower in practice than projected, Delhi Metro is achieving an operating profit. Carrying 5% of the city’s commuters, the project is proving to not only meet the anticipated aim of attracting former road users and reducing road casualties in areas it serves, the Metro is also stimulating economic development in proximity to stations. To further discourage vehicle use in connection with Metro use, a low-cost cycle hire and secure parking trial has been launched.

Development of the Phase 2 lines that will add around 121km to the network is well under way, and a 2010 completion is anticipated in time for Delhi's hosting of the Commonwealth Games.

As with Phase 1, Delhi Metro liases with other Asian mass transit operators, bringing in expertise from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. In turn, Mumbai Metro is drawing upon operational experience in Delhi.

A welcome part of the system for overseas visitors is the 19.5km (12.1 mile), ten minute interval, extension to Indira Gandhi International Airport. Featuring check-in and luggage facilities, journey times to the centre are cut to 16 minutes from the present one hour by road. The 135km/h (84mph) link will be extended as the airport adds new terminal facilities. The first construction contracts, to Alpine-Samsung-HCC and Afcons, for 7.5km of line were awarded in October 2007.

Delhi Metro is thought to have inspired greater support for mass transit systems. India has many projects now in the planning stage or under construction (Kolkata extension; Mumbai; Bengaluru/Bangalore; HyderabadBangalore). Anticipating the award of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a possibility of expanding their current small metro operation by then, representatives from Glasgow have visited Delhi to see how the system has become operational in such short time. With confidence in the completion of Phase 2 being on schedule or earlier, Delhi Metro seems likely to reach a master plan target of 241km by 2021.