The Hindu : New Delhi News : A comparison between the first and the latest Metro

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

A comparison between the first and the latest Metro

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, DEC. 19. Though the launch of the new underground Metro service between Kashmere Gate and Delhi University stations today brings into existence only the second underground Metro corridor in the country, a comparison with the first, Kolkata Metro, shows that the two differ in almost every aspect, barring the fact that they have trains running under the surface of the earth.

To begin with, the first section of the Kolkata Metro, connecting Esplanade to Bhowanipur, 3.04 km away, was operationalised by Indian Railways in 1984 and took a full 12 years to complete. And the full length of 16.45 km was commissioned in 1995 at a cost of Rs 1,740 crores. As against this, Delhi Metro, which comes under the Ministry of Urban Development, has completed construction on the 4 km section in just three-and-a-half years.

However, Kolkata Metro was constructed at a cost of just over Rs 100 crores per kilometre as against the cost of nearly Rs 300 crores per kilometre for the underground sections of the Delhi Metro. Also, Kolkata's was a totally indigenous project constructed in a trial and error method whereas in the case of the Delhi Metro, there were highly paid international consultants who guided the contractors all through.

Since the commencement of construction, the Kolkata project had to contend with several problems such as non-availability of funds till 1977-78, shifting of underground utilities, court injunctions and irregular supply of vital materials. But overcoming innumerable hurdles and crossing all barriers, it became India's first and Asia's fifth Metro in 1984.

It is for this reason that officers who have worked on both these Metro systems believe they are equally important. And there are several of them like the Chief Project Manager of the underground Delhi Metro Corridor, Mangu Singh, who have worked on and take pride in both.

But it is in the technological aspect and safety and security systems that Delhi Metro stands out.

The Delhi Metro possesses exclusive firemen's access staircase which lead straight to the station control room, reversible flow fans to direct air in any desired direction and to suck out smoke in the event of a fire, and under platform exhausts to suck out air near the tracks so that they do not get over-heated due to braking of train.

Also, it has twice the required number of pumps for throwing out the seepage water that gets collected in sumps at the end of all the stations and the lowest point of the tunnels connecting them. In the Delhi Metro, the design feature also allows for evacuating two trainloads of people as well as those present on the platforms in the event of an emergency and so there are as many as 26 escalators and 11 lifts -- including glass ones -- besides wide staircases in the four stations. Further, there are fire doors at every 250 metres for connecting the two tunnels and to meet any eventuality.

While the Kolkata Metro does not possess all these features, it does have a forced ventilation system with washed and cooled air. But even this does not compare anywhere close to Delhi Metro's ventilation system which prevents smoke from travelling towards people through the use of reversible flow fans.

Delhi Metro will also have seismic sensors to warn about earthquakes and linked to the central control room, they would stop train operations if the magnitude of the tremor would exceed a certain level and thereby allow immediate evacuation of all.

The fire suppression system will also be unique and would for the first time provide for filling up of inert gases in the main technical and control rooms in the event of a fire. Along with the water sprinkling system, the gases would ensure that the fire does not spread.

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