One museum which cannot possibly register low footfall is the Delhi Metro Museum at Patel Chowk metro station. A commuter either exiting the station or entering it has to go through the museum. But how many actually stop by and spend time at the exhibits, I don’t know. One always find people looking at the displayed exhibits keenly, but considering the number of commuters at the station, in comparison it turns out to be a miniscule fragment. Known as the world’s first Metro Museum located in a functional metro station, it doesn’t take long to check out. Entry is free if you are using the metro and the timings are pretty cool — 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Inspired by the Transport Museum in London, the Metro Museum was conceived in 2008 and finally opened to the public in 2010. Through text panels, photographs, exhibits, the museum weaves an interesting narrative of the Delhi Metro since its inception. You see the appointment letter, dated February 28, 1997, of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) first employee P.K. Gupta. You find DMRC’s cute mascot — a small girl dressed in blue skirt and top with hands folded in a traditional Namaste. You come across the photograph of Meenakshi Sharma, one of DMRC’s first lady train operators, different flags used to flag off various lines and what not. There is so much you can learn about the transport system that has transformed the city and become its lifeline.
From defining the metro (the electrically powered train operating on reserved tracks in an urban area dates back to 1863 when the 6-km underground railway was constructed between Paddington and Farringdon in London) to the battle between gauges, the museum is a mine of information. Many of us wouldn’t know that while the entire phase 1 and part of phase 2 is on broad gauge, the Delhi government decided on standard gauge for 61.7 km of Phase 2 (Inderlok-Mundka) and the upcoming corridors. While DMRC was keen on standard gauge right from the beginning, the Railway Ministry wanted the broad gauge system with the latter having its way in the initial stages.
Going through the museum, you can’t help but salute the spirit and vision of people like E. Sreedharan who made it possible and at the same time feel a bit sad for all that’s wrong with the Delhi Metro today.
And if you always wondered about what’s in the black bag every train operator carries, here you can see what it contains — a red flag, a green flag, a safety and security manual, a general rule book, a rolling stock and automatic train protection troubleshooting handbook. The journey of eight coaches airlifted from the Bombardier factory in Germany by two Antonov aircraft is also presented through a set of photographs.
Various soil types collected from different metro sites, a model of a tunnel boring machine, muck trains, dioramas of stations, models of trains, interesting facts about certain stations, helmets used by the staff at the construction sites, uniforms can also be viewed. One wishes the touch screen computers and the huge LCD placed there, supposedly to describe the working of tunnel boring machines and launching of girders used in elevated construction, were also working.
There are also small souvenir shops selling interesting fare like Metro ties, key chains, toy trains, pens, bookmarks, handcrafted models of trains, ludo board, etc.
