New Delhi: Taking a cue from London’s transport museum, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is soon going to gift Delhiites a Delhi Metro museum that will trace the origin and historic moments in the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS).

The museum, sources said, will be similar to the London’s museum. It will house photographs, newspaper archives, models of the trains, curios, books and audio visual films made tracing the history of Delhi Metro. The building housing the museum may be shaped like a Metro train and once inside, the future generations will get to know how the system was set up.

‘‘We are writing to the government for land for the museum, and have already started collecting memoirs which will find place in it. It is going to be set up at the earliest,’’ said Anuj Dayal, DMRC’s chief spokesperson. Later, the corporation is also looking at including simulators, using which people visiting the museum can actually experience driving a real Delhi Metro train. But since the simulators — currently being used by DMRC for training drivers — are very expensive, it may not be possible to spare them for now.

Those coming there will be given tokens to take back as mementos and DMRC is also going to get more literature printed. So far, there are three books and a documentary recording the development of Delhi Metro. The museum will have detailed records of historic moments — like the challenging construction of the underground stretch at Chawri Bazar which is considered to be among the toughest tunnelling projects in the world and the construction of the Shahdara station which required huge relocation. More than 400 families were moved out of the area and shifted to Ghazipur to make way for the station.

Interesting records like how the first trains rolled into Delhi and how they were placed on the tracks, and about the driver who drove people on Delhi’s first ever Metro ride will also be tabulated with photographs and written records.

DMRC has decided to make the museum now since most of its officials have been there since the inception. ‘‘All the memories are fresh as the people involved in the construction are still with us. ,’’ Dayal added.

Source: Times of India