Decks clear for Delhi Metro to run between Mandi House, ITO station

The Centre has amended the rules to allow Metro rail to operate on single line sections clearing decks for starting train services between Mandi House and ITO stations, and also a section in Chennai Metro.

A high-level meeting comprising different agencies chaired by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu approved the amendment to the Metro Railway General Rules, 2013 and the changes notified to allow operations on single-line sections.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has completed the construction work on the single-line Mandi House-ITO section in January this year. However, operations on this 971-metre section did not start as safety inspection could not be carried out as per provisions of the Metro Railway General Rules.

The bone of contention was a single-line operation –  the station has no provision for a train to reverse –  which the commissioner of Metro Rail Safety claimed that such things were not allowed as per the Delhi Metro Act.

The UD Ministry held several rounds of discussions with the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation which is the controlling authority of CRS, Ministry of Railways and experts to resolve the issue.

At an inter-agency meeting chaired by Naidu, it was decided to amend the 2013 Rules to enable operations on single-line Metro sections pending commissioning of the other line. The amendments were carried out in consultation with the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Law and Justice, said a statement from the Ministry Urban Development.

The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety would soon carry out safety inspection and Metro services between Mandi House and ITO would be started immediately thereafter.

The move is expected to benefit 22,000 passengers daily to begin with and 31,000 by 2021 enhancing DMRC’s annual revenue by Rs 8 crore.

The amendment to the rules also benefits Chennai Metro enabling operations on the 2.88-km section between Ashok Nagar and Alandur after safety inspection.