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Delhi Metro Airport Express Line - started finally
Feb24, 2011

FROM HEART OF CITY TO IGI AIRPORT IN 18 MINUTES

The Delhi Airport Metro Express line finally rolled out on Wednesday afternoon, four months after it was initially scheduled to start operations. The first public-private partnership venture in the rail sector took off only partially as work on two stations — out of the designated six — is yet to be completed.

On the first day, passengers were greeted with flowers and a gift amid tight CISF security monitoring access to the stations. The first train from NDLS to Dwarka ran with about 60% occupancy that included passengers and Metro officials. Services picked up only around evening as the afternoon trains got few passengers. At Dwarka, only two persons had reportedly purchased token till early evening.

Reliance-led concessionaire Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL) ran the first service at 2pm — when one train started from the New Delhi railway station and simultaneously another one took off from Dwarka Sector-21. DMRC MD E Sreedharan and Reliance Infra CEO Lalit Jalan were present for the flagging off ceremony. The total distance of 22.7km was covered in roughly 20 minutes while the distance from NDLS to IGI Station, in the absence of Dhaula Kuan and Aerocity stations, was covered in 18 minutes. According to DAMEPL figures, about 2,000 people travelled on the line between 2pm and 8pm, many of whom hopped on only to experience the service on the first day.

Check-in facilities are yet to be made available but once in place, passengers would be able to get boarding cards from NDLS, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan stations. Official said that baggage trolleys had been displayed prominently on the concourse and at platforms though passengers complained that they were not easily visible.

The Airport Express Metro line will have six stations:

New Delhi - Shivaji stadium - Dhaula Kuan - Delhi Aerocity or NH8 - IGI Airport - Dwarka sector 21.

AIRPORT EXPRESS METRO LINE
Length 22.7 km
7 km elevated, 15.7 km underground


Frequency 10 min
expected

Expected ridership 42,500
by 2011

Cost of Construction 38,000cr

At the Airport Metro station, passengers faced some problems with escalators, claiming that there were no clear signs indicating where they were located and a confusing set of buttons inside. “I walked into an elevator and was stumped to find a panel of buttons that made no sense to me. I ended up pressing the wrong button and had to take the escalator back. Also, once more people start using the service, the size of the elevator might become a problem,” said Aditya Mehra, a student.

Passengers also complained that there were no signs or announcement either at the airport or at the station to say that operations were to start on Wednesday. “I was going to board a taxi when someone mentioned that the Metro services had started. That is how I managed to find my way here. There was nothing inside the terminal to announce the opening,” said Prabhat Singh, a passenger. Around 30 signages have been placed inside and around the arrival terminal to indicate the location of the Metro line.

With no direct connection to terminal 1D that caters to lowcost carriers, passengers would have to disembark at T3 and take a transfer shuttle to 1D. The service would run only between 8am and 10pm and would not be available to scores of international passengers who arrive in the city in the wee hours as several international flights operate between 10pm and 6am.

Speed
Was pitched at 120kmph. But after CMRS approval it will now run at 105kmph

Introductory fare
Rs 80

Regular fare
Rs 150

New Delhi station
Will have drop-down points in beginning though DMRC is also building a multi-level parking over the station

Check-in facilities
At 3 stations — baggage check-in at New Delhi and Shivaji; passenger check-in at Dhaula Kuan

IGI Station
To come up adjacent to Terminal 3. Baggage gets transferred to airport through separate channel for another round of security check and passengers go through lounge to the departure terminal

Source: Times of India