Delhi Metro to include 45% more trains from March 2018
What's the story
With its Phase 3 nearing completion, Delhi Metro is set to undergo a massive expansion.
The commuters will see a 45% increase in the number of trains, i.e. from 227 trains at present to 328.
The network will also expand from 218 km to 348 km.
DMRC also plans to deploy an additional 3,000 employees to the already existing 9,000.
Here's all about it.
New inclusions
Number of coaches to be increased on almost every line
With the completion of Phase 3, the number of coaches will increase to 2,158 from the existing 1,468.
The number of eight-coach trains on the Blue Line will increase from 56 to 65 and from 38 to 52 on the Yellow Line.
The number of trains in the existing corridors will also be increased from 227 to 244.
Changes
Pink, Magenta and Red Lines to have six-coach trains
The Pink and Magenta Line along with the new Violet Line will only have six-coach trains as the number of passengers are less on those routes.
Meanwhile, the Red Line, DMRC's first operational corridor, will have its four-coach trains converted into six-coach ones.
Also, the number of coaches on the Red Line will go up from 10 to 39.
Methodical approaches
DMRC: Will lease trains to cater to passenger rush
To cater to the ever-increasing number of passengers especially during peak hours, DMRC needs more trains. Hence, it is now exploring the possibility of taking trains on lease instead of purchasing them.
Till date, DMRC has only purchased trains which is not only a time-consuming process but also requires substantial investment.
Inderlok-Mundka corridor will be the first section where leased trains will be deployed.
Analysis
DMRC brings in passenger-friendly changes
DMRC has also cut-down the waiting time on all six lines. Passengers will now have to wait for 2.08 minutes instead of 2.38 minutes during peak hours.
Additionally, the opening and closing of doors will be controlled manually to reduce travel time. If the station is not crowded, doors would be closed in 5 seconds. However, in crowded stations, it can take 30 seconds.