A speed trial of the Delhi Airport Metro Express will be conducted this coming Sunday and Monday by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), which will decide if the present speed of the metro rail link will be increased, sources said on Wednesday.
The high speed link, which began operations this February, was given clearance to run trains at 105 km per hour after approval from Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). Trains on the line can attain a maximum speed of 135 km per hour and require RDSO approval before the speed can be increased. When the line was launched, it was said that trains would eventually be run at a speed of 120 km per hour following the requisite approval from RDSO and CMRS.
Commenting on the proposed trial, a spokesperson of Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire that operates the line, said: “Reliance Metro has proved its technical efficiency by conducting train speed trial at 135 km per hour. As per CMRS instruction, trains are being run at a speed of 105 km per hour. We are hopeful of obtaining CMRS certificate and we would increase the train speed once the approval is achieved.”
If the approvals come through, Delhiites can expect to travel to the airport faster by the beginning of next year.
The line has, over the past eight months, increased the frequency of trains, introduced check-in facility for three airline carriers at three of its stations and increased the operation timings.
The public-private partnership model of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has received flak from DMRC managing director Dr. E. Sreedharan over the past year for not increasing the speed and frequency of the trains as promised when the line was launched.
On the question of increasing train frequency, the spokesperson said: “Reliance Metro launched its passenger service with a train frequency of 20 minutes. As the ridership gradually increased we responded to the commuters' feedback and increased our train frequency to 15 minutes. A few months ago, we again increased the frequency to 12 minutes during peak hours in the morning and evening. Train frequency will be further increased according to rise in footfall and commuters' request.”
If the RDSO approves the increase in speed at the speed trial on December 18 and 19, the Airport Express Line will have to get an approval from the CMRS before trains on the line can be run at a higher speed. The CMRS could not be reached for comment.
The high speed link, which began operations this February, was given clearance to run trains at 105 km per hour after approval from Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). Trains on the line can attain a maximum speed of 135 km per hour and require RDSO approval before the speed can be increased. When the line was launched, it was said that trains would eventually be run at a speed of 120 km per hour following the requisite approval from RDSO and CMRS.
Commenting on the proposed trial, a spokesperson of Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire that operates the line, said: “Reliance Metro has proved its technical efficiency by conducting train speed trial at 135 km per hour. As per CMRS instruction, trains are being run at a speed of 105 km per hour. We are hopeful of obtaining CMRS certificate and we would increase the train speed once the approval is achieved.”
If the approvals come through, Delhiites can expect to travel to the airport faster by the beginning of next year.
The line has, over the past eight months, increased the frequency of trains, introduced check-in facility for three airline carriers at three of its stations and increased the operation timings.
The public-private partnership model of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has received flak from DMRC managing director Dr. E. Sreedharan over the past year for not increasing the speed and frequency of the trains as promised when the line was launched.
On the question of increasing train frequency, the spokesperson said: “Reliance Metro launched its passenger service with a train frequency of 20 minutes. As the ridership gradually increased we responded to the commuters' feedback and increased our train frequency to 15 minutes. A few months ago, we again increased the frequency to 12 minutes during peak hours in the morning and evening. Train frequency will be further increased according to rise in footfall and commuters' request.”
If the RDSO approves the increase in speed at the speed trial on December 18 and 19, the Airport Express Line will have to get an approval from the CMRS before trains on the line can be run at a higher speed. The CMRS could not be reached for comment.
