The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation successfully placed two next-generation ‘driverless’ coaches directly on the tracks near the Sadar Bazar metro station on Monday to expedite trial runs on the section.
The station is part of the Janakpuri West – Terminal One of the IGI Airport section of the upcoming Magenta line (Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden), which spans over 38.23 km.
Absolute precision
On Monday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) began unloading the first six-coach train using cranes and trailers. “The first two coaches were unloaded on a ramp near the Sadar Bazar metro station through a carefully-planned operation. The coaches were lowered near the ramp and positioned on the tracks with the help of special high-capacity cranes and trailers,” said a DMRC spokesperson.
“The process needed absolute precision to avoid physical damage to the coaches or the civil structure. The remaining four coaches of the train will be positioned on the tracks over the next few days, after which trials will be started on this approximately 13-km-long section,” he added.
The state-of-the-art Hyundai Rotem coaches were brought to Delhi by road on trailer trucks. This was done because the coaches are of standard gauge and couldn’t have been loaded on any other kind of transportation. To ensure that the coaches don’t suffer any damage enroute, the DMRC carried out a survey to identify the best route possible. The trailer trucks first took the coaches to DMRC’s Kalindi Kunj depot for checks and then brought them to the site where they were placed on the tracks.
Sticking to schedule
The DMRC said that the decision to unload the coaches directly on the tracks was taken to ensure that trial runs stay on schedule on this section, where construction work is in the last stage.
“Trial runs are already on between Botanical Garden and Kalkaji Mandir. But, track, OHE and other associated activities are still being carried out between Kalkaji Mandir and Munirka, where the tunnelling work finished last week. As a result, this particular section is not connected to the depot,” he said.
In a similar operation in 2010, a four-coach train was lowered on a ramp near Lajpat Nagar to begin trial runs on the Central Secretariat – Badarpur corridor. However, Monday’s operation was more challenging as six coaches were being placed this time.
Battling constraints
To unload the train in a section without depot connectivity, the DMRC had to choose a location where the metro corridor emerged out of an underground section through a ramp. This was done to ensure that the coaches did not have to be lifted too high. The requirement of boom length and the area for placement of crane increases significantly with the height to which the coach needs to be lifted. “Such locations are not easily available. Besides, there is a constraint of blocking the road,” the spokesperson said.
