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Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
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New Delhi

Story of Delhi Metro unfolded

Manisha Jha

Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Chronicling History: Delhi Metro Managing Director E. Sreedharan (centre) along with senior officials launching the book ‘A Journey to Remember’ in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: “It gives us a peep into some of the very sophisticated technology developed in various areas of the Delhi Metro railway and has been brought out mainly for visitors and occasional travellers to carry back as a memento….” This was how Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director E. Sreedharan described the coffee-table book “A Journey to Remember” that was released by him at Metro Bhavan here on Monday.

Chronicling the story of the Delhi Metro and how it revolutionised the country’s public transport scenario, the 94-page book also includes over 50 photographs and sections on the history of the organisation, key dates, facts and figures and vital details.

The book starts with an inspirational quote by Patanjali and a brief description of the metros worldwide. It then discusses the genesis of the Delhi Metro which took 32 years to become a reality since a Mass Rapid Transit Network was first recommended for Delhi.

“For me this has really been a very satisfying, exciting and rewarding journey over the past 11 years that I have been associated with the DMRC. During this period we have managed to complete Phase I and start work on Phase II which is a gigantic project costing over Rs.20,000 crore and will be completed by October 2010 well in time for the Commonwealth Games,” said Mr. Sreedharan.

“The Delhi Metro is not just a train but a complex system involving a lot of effort, installation, machinery, equipment, maintenance and satisfaction of the public which is a great challenge for all of us. It is our earnest effort to see that construction continues with the highest standards and is able to produce something which is useful to the public at large,” he added.

Enumerating the various achievements of DMRC, Mr. Sreedharan said: “Whatever we have been able to achieve is through team spirit and other important factors include punctuality, reliability and viability which is the most important factor wherein the Delhi Metro has managed to make a profit without being a burden on the government while maintaining one of the lowest fare structures in India.”

Some of the stories in the publication include an account of the first day of operation on December 25, 2002, when about 12 lakh people queued up for a ride at six stations, forcing DMRC to issue a public appeal asking commuters to defer their joyrides.

The book also covers in detail the modification of route plans after beginning construction. For instance, it chronicles how the Barakhamba Road-Dwarka corridor was actually a replacement of a plan to link Rajiv Chowk with Dilshad Garden via Vivek Vihar and Vikas Marg. Issues regarding the decision to choose broad gauge over standard gauge and the selection of modern rolling stock are also featured in the book along with the story behind the construction of technological marvels such as the Chawri Bazaar metro station , the deepest in the system, and the country’s first extra-dosed bridge near Pragati Maidan.

The book also provides some answers to students from India and abroad who have been visiting DMRC after being impressed by its unique management style and work culture to understand what makes it tick and what makes it achieve difficult targets in challenging circumstances.

These answers have been provided in the form of practical tips on issues such as importance of spiritualism as a guiding force, monitoring techniques of management, engineering challenges in designing its structures, technological features of various systems, round-the-clock activities, accessibility features and concern for the environment.

Talking about the challenges faced while compiling the book over one year, DMRC spokesperson Anju Dayal said: “The Delhi Metro being one of the most complex systems, the main challenge we faced was converting the engineering information into a readable format to reach out to the layman.”

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