Delhi metro to launch standard-guage trains in March

Delhi metro will begin its stint with standard guage trains when the Mundka-Inderlok line will be thrown open to the public in March as per schedule, which would benefit lakhs of people in the national capital's west and northwest.

The 18.5km stretch connecting two existing stations — Inderlok (on Dilshad Garden-Rithala line) and Kirti Nagar (on Dwarka Sec9-Noida City Centre/Anand Vihar line) will be inaugurated by next month, DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

"The line would be opened by March as planned and the DMRC will initially put 14 trains on the line," he told PTI.

The line was scheduled to be opened in March but there were reports it could be delayed. This will be the first standard guage metro line in the country. DMRC's other lines are broad guage.

The DMRC has received 17 standard-guage trains from Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Bangalore, and would put 14 on service once the line gets inaugurated, while three trains would be on stand-by.

Dayal said the frequency during peak hours would be 4.5-5 minutes, while in non-peak hours it would be six minutes.

Ultimately, the line will have a total of 21 trains.

DMRC projects that at least 2.5 lakh commuters would be added to Metro's expanding network in the capital by the end of 2010 with the opening of the Mundka-Inderlok line.

The line will have 14 stations — Inderlok, Ashok Park (Main), Punjabi Bagh (East),Shivaji Park, Madipur, Paschim Vihar (East), Paschim Vihar (West),Peeragarhi, Udyog Nagar, Surajmal Stadium, Nangloi, Nangloi Railway Station, Rajdhani Park and Mundka. All these stations are elevated.

This will be the first standard gauge metro line in  the country as all other lines opened so far have been on broad gauge.

Standard gauge lines have a width of 4 feet 8 and 1/2inches between the tracks while broad gauge lines have a width of five feet six inches between the tracks. This will make the Delhi metro probably the only Metro in the world which will operate on both standard gauge and broad gauge in the same city, Dayal said.

Smooth interchange will be provided at Inderlok so that passengers can change lines comfortably by walking a very short distance since the platforms and concourse of the broad gauge and standard gauge connections are linked.

The travel time from Inderlok-Mundka will be 31 minutes approximately.