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Delhi Metro Rail News Archives »
Metro Takes A Plunge On Way To IGI
Feb24, 2011
Read All The Coverage about Delhi Metro Airport Express Line
Delhi Metro Airport Express Line - started finally 
Date - 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
Read More about Delhi Metro Airport Express Line » |
Delhi Metro Airport Line - could start in few days
Date - Feb5, 2011
The much-awaited Airport Express Metro line finally got safety clearance from the commissioner of Metro rail safety on Monday evening. While the line is expected to become operational in around a week's time, CMRS R K Kardam has recommended cutting down the speed of the trains and reconsidering the security set-up.
“A few observations have been made, which I hope DMRC will address soon,” Kardam said. These include reducing speed from 120kmph that Delhi Airport Metro Express has been proposing to 105kmph and reviewing the use of private security on the line. While the concessionaire has proposed using private security, there have been reservations about the proposal, especially as CISF provides security in the rest of the Metro network. From NDLS to IGI Airport IN 20 MINUTES With the CMRS safety nod and the line ready for use, services on 22-km link could start in coming few days.
Airport Express Metro Line was given safety clearance on Monday (10-Jan-11) evening and the commissioner has made recommendations regarding the speed of trains and the security setup. “DMRC is already looking into the matter…I have asked it to approach the competent authority," said CMRS R KKardam.
Though DAMEPL officials refused to commit on when the link will be opened, sources said that with the line ready for use, services could become available within three-four days. Said a DAMEPL spokesperson, "We are yet to receive a formal letter from them (CMRS). Once we have that, a decision would be taken on an operation timetable."
The concessionaire also refused to reveal the fare chart, claiming that a final decision was "yet to be taken". Sources however, admitted that the concessionaire was hoping to keep it within the cap of Rs 150, the maximum fare for travel from New Delhi to IGIA or Dwarka sector 21. Said a DAMEPL official, "The fare will be commuter friendly…we would like to keep it less than the proposed Rs 150." The base fare meanwhile, will not "vary too much from DMRC rates," added the official. Sources however, say that the base fare will be substantially higher than DMRC's Rs 8, at around Rs 25-30.
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Metro saves cost, time on IGI line with giant girders
January 12, 2009
 With the countdown having started for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi Metro’s express link to the airport is fast nearing completion. To expedite the process and make it more cost effective, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is making use of gigantic 25 metre-long girders to join spans on elevated stretch of the section.
The technique is being used for the first time in India. Earlier it was used only in China and Taipei. Delhi Airport Express Line, which is scheduled for a October 2010 opening, has to be constructed on a very tight deadline. So, DMRC officials decided to use the large girders, each weighing about 120 tonnes, in place of segmental construction technique. Till now, the concrete spans between two pillars on which the tracks are laid were made of 12 small segments, which were joined together with metal cables and stressed. But now, DMRC is going to have two gigantic concrete slabs of 25 metres length, which will be placed side-by-side on top of the piers (pillars) to create the foundation of the elevated stretch.
The bigger spans work out to be more economical and also speed up pace of the construction. Officials said it takes about a week to join the space between two pillars using segmental construction while the bigger spans can be put in place in just one day. ‘‘The cost of construction with the existing 3-meter spans works out to Rs 24 crore per km, while the 25-meter ones cost Rs 19 crore per km. So using the bigger spans will result in a saving of nearly Rs 5 crore per km,’’ said a DMRC official.
With so many benefits, why is the technique not used for construction of all stretches? DMRC officials explain that it can be used only in areas where there is enough space near the construction site. This is because the concrete girders are made at a casting yard and transported to the construction site on specially designed trailer trucks which are 35m long and have 64 tyres.
The Mumbai Metro also wanted to make use of the long girders but transporting them on narrow Mumbai roads would have been impossible, so the idea was dropped. The elevated stretch of the Airport Express Line in the Capital falls between Buddha Jayanti Park and Mahipalpur which has wide roads. A total of 504 such girders are being used on the 7-km stretch, of which 22 have already been launched.
IGI line Progress
- Length - 22.7 km (7 km elevated)
- Number of stations - 6 New Delhi Railway Station, Shivaji Terminus, Dhaula Kuan, NH-8, IGI Airport and Dwarka sector 21
- Max train speed - 135 kmph
- Frequency - 10 mins in 2010; 6 mins by 2021
- Completion deadline - July 2010
- Journey time from CP to IGI - 18 minutes
- Journey time to Dwarka - 24 minutes
- Expected ridership - 46,500 in 2011; 86,000 in 2021
- Estimated cost - Rs 4,000 crore (approx)
- Total number of special large girders being used - 504
- Length of girders - 25m FEATURES
- Maximum fare - Rs 150 (up to IGI),Rs 30 (IGI to Dwarka)
- Business Model - Public-private partnership (PPP) with DMRC developing the civil structures and later playing the watchdog for 30 years
Some of the features at the Airport Express Link stations:
- Baggage check in facility at New Delhi Railway Station and Shivaji Stadium
- Lifts at all stations will be wide enough to accommodate passengers with luggage
- Parking available at Shivaji Stadium and New Delhi stations. Multi-level parking facility to come up at New Delhi station
Dwarka Sector 21 station will have an interchange between Airport Express Line and Line 3
Source: Times of India
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