Trial runs on a 10-km-long elevated stretch of the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar line of the Delhi Metro began on Wednesday. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that the new signalling technology, Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), would be “rigorously tested”.
The test will be run between the IP Extension and Maujpur metro stations, a statement by the DMRC read.
Nine elevated stations
The 59-km-long Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar line, also known as the Pink Line, is part of the DMRC’s phase-III project. Trial tuns on some other stretches of the line started last year. The Pink Line, including the 10-km stretch, will open in parts by June 2018, DMRC officials said. The IP Extension-Maujpur stretch comprises nine elevated stations: IP Extension, Anand Vihar, Karkardooma, Karkardooma Court, Krishna Nagar, East Azad Nagar, Welcome, Jaffrabad and Maujpur.
“CBTC will be implemented on this corridor, and will undergo rigorous testing in stages,” the statement read, adding: “The response of the train at different speeds, braking, and interconnection with the Operations Control Centre will also be monitored during the trials. The behaviour of the track system and the Over Head Electrification will be checked repeatedly.”
This section has three interchange stations, at Anand Vihar, Karkardooma and Welcome, a senior metro official said.
“During these runs, the interface of the metro train will be checked to ensure there is no physical infringement with civil infrastructure during the movement of the train on the track, and also testing of various sub-systems of coaches shall be done,” the DMRC stated.
The officials said that construction of this section faced many challenges, including management of heavy traffic at various points at Patparganj, Anand Vihar, Welcome, Jaffrabad and Maujpur. “The construction in running drain, land acquisition at Patparganj, Anand Vihar, Welcome, Jaffrabad and Maujpur also posed a bottleneck during construction,” the DMRC added. The trains for this section have already arrived and are parked at Vinod Nagar Depot, officials said.
