JOIN USThe Delhi Metro on Friday began the process of phasing out almost all six-coach trains from its two busiest corridors - the Blue and Yellow Lines. Also, almost all the four-coach trains will be converted into six-coach metros on the Red Line.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will finish procuring 258 additional coaches for this purpose by 2017-end, said an official.
These three corridors – Blue, Yellow and Red – together see a footfall over 20 lakh passengers every day.
As per the plan, the Blue Line will get 40 more eight-coach trains. “While three new eight-coach trains will be added on the corridor, 37 six-coach trains will be converted into eight-coach trains,” he said.
The DMRC aims to add 19 more eight-coach trains on the Yellow corridor. "Of these, 14 will be new eight-coach trains whereas five six-coach trains will be converted into eight-coach trains," he said.
The Red Line will get 19 six-coach trains by converting four-coach ones into six-coach Metro trains.
With converting a six-coach train into an eight-coach one on the Blue Line on Friday, the Delhi Metro initiated the process of augmenting its carrying capacity on the corridor. The new eight coach train was pressed into service from Yamuna Bank depot in the presence of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s Managing Director Mangu Singh and other senior officials.
"In order to substantially increase the carrying capacity of the three main corridors of Delhi Metro, orders have been placed for the procurement of 258 additional coaches with 162 of these coaches being provided by Bombardier, and 96 coaches by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML)," it said. "The BEML will start supplying coaches by this year-end or early next year."
At present, 71 trains operate on the Blue Line, 60 trains run on the Yellow Line and 29 trains ferry passengers on the Red Line.
The Delhi Metro currently runs a fleet of 227 trains comprising 128 six-coach trains, 58 eight-coach trains and 41-four coach trains across its corridors.
The Delhi Metro is in the process of procuring 504 coaches for its phase 3 project. As many as 162 coaches have already been added on the Green and Violet corridors in the last couple of years which has boosted the carrying capacity on these sections, especially the ITO–Faridabad stretch, it said.
DH News Service