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D E L H I   E T R  O  The Success Mantra
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Delhi Metro2

Apr 07, 2018

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Prashant Nahata
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D E 

L H I   ME T R 

 O 

TheSuccess

Mantra

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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 

Chairman

• Shri M Ramachandran

ManagingDirector

• Dr. E. Sreedharan

OtherDirectors

• 16 Nominees of Govt. of India• 5 Nominees of Govt. of NCTD• No. of full-time functional Directors at present including MD -

7

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MISSION 

To cover the whole of Delhi with a Metro Networkby the year 2021.

To be of world class standards in regard to safety,reliability, punctuality, comfort and customersatisfaction.

To operate on sound commercial lines obviating theneed for Government support.

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THE PROJECT 

After more than 40 years of studies into a rail-based mass transit system,the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) began construction on 1October 1998.

By November 2006, all three lines in Phase 1 totaling 65km (40.4 miles)were operational, three years ahead of schedule.

On 25 December 2002, the first section of Line 1 from Shahdara to Tis-Hazari was opened.

Delhi Metro was designed to be integrated with other public transportand DMRC signed an agreement with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to integrate management and through-ticketing.

DMRC has itself supplied around 200 feeder buses of a qualityconsistent with Metro operations to work feeder routes to stations.

There are 18 designated parking sites at Metro stations to furtherencourage use of the system.

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KEY DATA  Population 

16.2 million

Operator 

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)

Gauge 

1,676mm

Power 

25kV ac overhead supply

Network length

68 km

Stations

62 stations on 3 separate lines (13 underground,48 elevated and 1 at-grade station).

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 Lines  Distance Number of 

Stations Timings  Frequency 

Line I (Shahdara -

Rithala) 

22 km **(AG-4.5

km, EL-

17.50 km) 18 

6:00 AM-11:00

PM 

6 min at peak hrs-15

min during non-

peak hrs 

Line II ( Vishwa

Vidyalaya -

Central Sectt.) 

11 km **(UG- 11

km) 10 

6:00 AM-11:00

PM 

6 min at peak hrs - 10

min during non

peak hrs 

Line III(Indraprastha-

Barakhamba

Road -

Dwarka)* 

32.1 km **(EL-

29.93 km,

UG-2.17

km) 

31 6:00 AM-11:00

PM 

6 min at peak hrs-15

min during non-

peak hrs 

**(AG- At grade, EL- elevated, UG- underground)

Metro Lines Currently Operational

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METRO PHASES 

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METRO PHASES 

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Corridor  Approx. Length (in kms)  Target Opening Dates 

Shahdara - Dilshad Garden 3.09 Commissioned

Indraprastha - New AshokNagar

8.07 June 2009

New Ashok Nagar - Noida 7.0 June 2009

Vishwavidyalaya -Jahangirpuri

6.36 October 2009

Yamuna Bank - Anand ViharISBT

6.17 December 2009

Qutab Minar - Gurgaon 14.47 January 2010

Kirti Nagar / Inderlok - Mundka 18.46 March 2010

Central Secretariat - GreenPark

6.6 April 2010

Green Park - Qutab Minar 5.9 June 2010

a) New Delhi Railway station -

IGI Airport

19.2 August 2010

a) IGI Airport - Dwarka Sector21

3.50 September 2010

Badarpur - Sarita Vihar -Lajpat Nagar

6.51 September 2010

Extension from Dwarka Sector9 to 21

2.76 September 2010

Anand Vihar ISBT – Vaishali,Ghaziabad

2.5 September 2010

PHASE II: TARGET OPENING DATES 

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Increasing population(16.2 million)

Growing size of cities

Heterogeneous mix ofVehicles- buses, cars,

Scooters, cycles

Traffic jamsMore pollutionRoad

accidents

NEED FOR METRO

Thus, a pragmatic policy shift to discourage private modes andencourage public transport was needed and introduction of a rail based(MRTS) Mass Rapid Transit System was called for.

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FINANCING PLAN 

The project will be financed by way of equity contributions from the GOI / GNCTD, soft loan

from the OECF (Japan), property development revenue and certain decided levies / taxes on

the city dwellers.

The financial plan of the project has been approved by the GNCTD and GIO on 24.7.1996 and

17.9.19996 respectively.

Source of Fund  Percentage of Total Cost 

1. Equity contribution from GOI& GNCTD  15% each 

2. OECF (Japan) Loan  Approx. 56% 

3. Revenue from Property Development  Approx. 6% 

4. Subordinate Debt towards Cost and Land  Approx. 8% 

The above financial plan is based on : 

Debt Equity ratio 2:1 

Fare: Base rate Rs. 5.00 (at April, 1995 prices) per passenger trip of 7.12 km.  

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BENEFITS

The Delhi MRTS is essentially a "social“ sector project, whose

benefits will pervade wide sections of economy. The modified first

phase will generate substantial benefits to the economy by the way

of:

Time saving for commuters

Reliable and safe journey

Reduction in atmospheric pollution

Reduction in accident

Reduced fuel consumption Reduced vehicle operating costs

Increase in the average speed of road vehicles

Improvement in the quality of life

More attractive city for economic investment and growth

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ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETYPOLICY / IMPACT ON CAPITAL

Delhi Metro helped save 33,000 tonnes of fuel and prevented the creation ofover 2,275 tonnes of poisonous gases in the past four years.

Saving environment: Studies conducted by the Central Road ResearchInstitute have shown that the Metro has reduced at least 40,000 cars frombeing used for daily commute. Metro possibly saved around 476 lives, whichotherwise would have been lost due to road accidents. It also helped save

Rs288 crore in road maintenance and traffic management costs. Mind that line: The Metro has brought some change in the manner in which

people behave in some public spaces. Commuters stick to the yellow line asthey wait for trains.

Saving jobs: The Metro has proved to be a saviour of sorts for hundreds ofrickshaw operators in the city by helping at least around 20 rickshaw

operators earn their living by ferrying Metro passengers, who aren’t on thefeeder bus routes, to and from the stations to their homes.

Real estate values: The Metro is, in part, responsible for soaring land andbuildings prices with several new projects coming up in the vicinity of almostevery Metro station.

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SERVICES PROVIDED

Free Drop Boxes at MetroStations for Cheque:Commuters of the Delhi Metrocan pay their telephone, powerand credit card bills at the Metrostations.

Feeder bus services: For thebenefit of nearby colonies, DelhiMetro will provide connectivity tothe new stations with its GPS-enabled feeder buses.

 

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OPERATIONS & SAFETY

Each train consists of four or more coaches and can carry up to 240seated and 400 standing passengers.

The trains operate at intervals of 3 to 4.5 minutes between 6:00 to 23:00.

Coaches on all trains are well ventilated and air-conditioned at atemperature of 20~22°C.

All metro stations and trains are monitored constantly by more than 1200closed-circuit cameras, and specially trained Delhi Metro  police arestationed at all stations and trains to deal with law and order issues.

The Delhi Metro is also one of the few metros in the world to have plainclothed metro-marshals on trains.

Eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing of gum are prohibited in theentire system. Constant and timely automated station announcements are recorded in Hindi and English. Many stations have services such asATMs, food outlets, cafés and convenience stores.

- -

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Information systems are in Hindi and English, and a tactileyellow line on platforms marks the safety limit.

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SPECIAL FEATURES OF METRO TRAINS 

The DMRC has ordered 131 new trains in view of theincreased rush on the Metro system in Delhi, every new Metrocoach of Phase – II will :-

provide passengers with power connections inside the coaches so

that they can use their laptops and charge their mobiles while theyare traveling in the Metro

have reduced noise levels inside the trains by using special soundabsorbing cushions in the walls of the Metro coaches and morebuffing on the Metro doors which will be better sealed by reducingthe door gaps to ensure that less sound from outside enters the

trains. The noise level in the underground coaches has been reducedby 8 decibels(db) as in Phase-I the internal noise levels was around92 db which will now be only 84 db in Phase-II.

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THE FUTURE

Although by 2007 the system was operating atbelow projected passenger levels, partly ascribed totrain capacity proving lower in practice thanprojected, Delhi Metro is achieving an operating

profit. Carrying 5% of the city’s commuters, theproject is proving to not only meet the anticipatedaim of attracting former road users and reducingroad casualties in areas it serves, the Metro is also

stimulating economic development in proximity tostations. To further discourage vehicle use inconnection with Metro use, a low-cost cycle hireand secure parking trial has been launched.

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SPECIAL FEATURES OF METRO TRAINS 

providing better level of passenger comfort as for the first time there will beHumidity control through Humidity Sensors which will eliminate humidityinside the coaches. The temperature will be maintained at 25 degree Celsiusand relative humidity will be maintained at 60 % during the summer andmonsoon months (in Phase - I trains, there was only temperature control).

have new destination sign boards in LED on one window of the side wall ofeach coach so that passengers can view the terminal stations while standing

on the platform as some Trains may be terminating at intermediate stationsdepending upon operational needs.

also have Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) inside the coaches apart from cameras outside the coaches so that the driver can see the entryand exit of passengers from the train. The driver of the Metro trains will nowbe able to observe passenger behavior in every part of the train at all times.

the train will have energy absorbent couplers which can absorb shock andreduce damage to the car body structure in collisions. 

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Delhi metro single journey token Delhi metro smart card

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FEATURES OF NEW STNS. {PH.-II}

The station buildings of Mansarovar Park, Jhilmil

and Dilshad Garden will have several features

including:

Separate Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates forentry and exit at opposite ends of stations,

Water-harvesting structures,

Close circuit television (CCTV) from the verybeginning (16 at each station),

Two Customer Care Centres at each station, Parking facilities at all stations,

Commuter related property development.

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THE MAN BEHIND IT 

"The Delhi metro is a stunning example of how agovernment project can be done properly," Delhi MetroRail Corporation managing director E Sreedharan toldReuters.

"It's been a good example for the politicians of what theprofessionals can do if they are given a free hand.“ 

The prestige of a metro in the capital led thegovernment to appoint a manager with an impressiverecord with full powers to hire people, decide ontenders and control funds -- a feat rarely repeated inIndia where graft and red tape slow many projects.

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THE MAN BEHIND IT 

With the public sector's reputation so tainted, Sreedharan has attained almosthero-like status. Surveys show he is one of India's most respected figures.

Good reasons why Mr. Sreedharan can hold his head high today:-

o Getting a huge Japanese loan (about 64 per cent of the total project cost) at an

interest rate of less than 1.8 per cent.

o On the revenue side also, Mr. Sreedharan has shown remarkable financialmanagement skills. Drawing the right lessons from all the metro networks runningin different cities in the world, he has laid adequate emphasis on non-operatingrevenue sources.

o Mr Sreedharan has kept a tight control on expenditure under all the three heads.One-third of the total cost is accounted for by manpower, one-third by energy andthe remaining one-third of the cost is on account of materials use and maintenanceetc.

Sreedharan's success in this city of 14 million people has led authorities to look at

metros across India, including the technology hubs of Bangalore and Hyderabad.

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HONOURS 

France's highest ACCOLADE FORMETRO CHIEF 

Mr. E. Sreedharan was honoured withFrance's highest honour – Chevalier del'Odre National de la Legion d' Honouri.e. Knight of the Legion of Honour. Itwas presented by the Frenchambassador to India H.E. Dominique

Girarad on 22

nd

November, 2005 in NewDelhi for Mr. Sreedharan's longstandingcommitment to the development oftransportation infrastructure in India.

More honour for metro chief 

Mr. E. Sreedharan, Managing Director,

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation washonoured with a Degree of Doctor ofScience (Honoris Causa) by the IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for hisoutstanding contributions andachievements in National Development.

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HONOURS 

Second highest Civilian Honourconferred upon Dr. E. Sreedharan

Dr. E. Sreedhran was honoured with thePadma Vibhushan. The honour wasannounced on the eve of the country's59th Republic Day i.e. on 25thJanuary2008 and was conferred upon Dr.Sreedharan by Hon'ble President ofIndia Smt. Pratibha Patil.

Delhi Metro Receives ISO 14001 ForEco-Friendly Systems 

It is the first metro system in the world to

obtain ISO 14001 certification forenvironment-friendly construction andoperations in the construction stageitself, and the second after the New YorkMetro, to achieve this standard.

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THE DARK SIDE 

However the construction & operation ofthe Delhi Metro has seen its fair share ofmishaps:

• Metro Rail Corridor collapses

NEW DELHI: A day after an under-construction metro railway elevated

corridor collapsedin the Capital’s trans-Yamuna arealeaving two persons dead and a dozeninjured, the

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Mondaydismissed an assistant engineer,suspended a junior

engineer, imposed a fine of Rs.10 lakh

on the contractor and removed theproject manager and deputy

project manager of the contractingcompany AFCONS from all DMRCworks.

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THE DARK SIDE 

• 10 Nov 2008: Man commits suicide at Janakpuri Metro Station.

• Oct 19, 2008: An under construction flyover collapsed in Laxmi Nagar of east Delhi dueto mechanical failure leading to death of at least two people and injuring 30.

• Sep 30, 2008: A prisoner was injured after he got dragged by a Metro train across thelength of the Chandni Chowk platform. He was tied to another prisoner with a rope andwas escorted by three policemen. He seemed to have got off the train but his partnerremained inside the coach. The doors of the metro train shut and the train began to movewith the rope stuck between the doors. Joginder got dragged till the end of the platformwhere fortunately it snapped, saving his life.

• July 18, 2008: A malfunctioning crane at a metro construction site near Ram MonoharLohia hospital dropped a four tonne iron beam on a passing Tavera car injuring two.

• Jan 21, 2008: A labourer was killed at a Delhi Metro construction site here while carryingout burrowing work.

• Aug 28, 2007: A crane driver died after a concrete block fell on him due to a "technicalfailure" at a Delhi Metro construction site in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi.

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THE MANTRA 

The Delhi Metro’s success stems, to a large extent, from itsclearly defined objectives and vision, which is 1. to completethe project on time 2.within the cost 3.without causinginconvenience to the public.

Different project teams are expected to complete the differentsections under their responsibility in time, and, therefore, thereis no question of not completing the project as planned.

Deadlines were treated as sacrosanct throughout the project,which in turn kept the costs from escalating. As a result,

Phase I of the project was completed almost 2 years and 9months ahead of schedule and within the budgeted cost.Presently, Phase II of the Delhi Metro with a length of 125 kmis under construction in half the time of Phase I since DMRChas to complete it before the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

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THE MANTRA 

Increase in DMRC profit

To keep the fares at a low level, the company has extensively harnessed its resourcesother than operations. These include lease rentals and property development.

In fact, the DMRC is funding about 5 per cent of the cost of Phase-II from its internalresources generated from Phase-I earnings.

The fully operational Phase-I consisting of 65.1 km carry an average of 6.15 lakhcommuters per day with the highest ridership in a day recorded so far at 7.36 lakhswith the actual Metro train occupancy on that day standing at 10.5 lakh as 43 per centcommuters used two or three lines in each trip.

‘Delhi Metro has one of the lowest fare structures in the world, other than the Kolkata’ 

‘In 2006-2007, DMRC generated total revenue of Rs.542.78 crore’ and recorded a 15 per cent hike in its operational profit for the financial year 2006-07.

After adjustment of interest and depreciation, the DMRC earned profit before taxof Rs.23.59 crores during the financial year 2006-2007. After prior periodadjustment of Rs.0.36 crore, the net surplus stood at Rs.23.23 crore.

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THE MANTRA 

Operating profits: Delhi Metro among top 5 

The Delhi Metro might be one of the newest Metros in the world, but its

operational efficiencies are second to none. This has helped the Delhi

Metro Rail Corporation post operating profits from day one. It is

amongst the five metros in the world out of over 130 to generate an

operating surplus.

In the last one year, it has brought down its operating ratio to 0.52 from0.64. The ratio measures that part of the income which goes to meet theoperational expenditure of a railway. To put it in perspective, theoperating ratio of the rejuvenated Indian Railways stood at 0.78 during2007-08.

Delhi Metro officials claimed their operating ratio is the best whencompared with other Metros, which has helped it generate surplus cashthat is being used to repay loans worth almost Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50billion) on the company's books.

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SOME FACTS

In 2006-2007, DMRC generated total revenue of Rs.542.78 crore andrecorded a 15 per cent hike in its operational profit for the financial year2006-07.

In the last one year, it has brought down its operating ratio to 0.52 from 0.64.the operating ratio of the rejuvenated Indian Railways stood at 0.78 during2007-08.

Between 2005-06 and 2006-07, Delhi Metro’s earnings per employeewitnessed a growth of 149 per cent from Rs 382,000 per employee to Rs953,000 per employee.

During the financial year 2005-06, Delhi Metro had around 48 employees perroute kilometre, which it reduced to 39 in 2007-08,

the earning per commuter has increased by 27 per cent to Rs 11.27 from Rs

8.88 during the period, though Delhi Metro has refrained from raising its fares. After adjustment of interest and depreciation, the DMRC earned profit

before tax of Rs.23.59 crores during the financial year 2006-2007. Afterprior period adjustment of Rs.0.36 crore, the net surplus stood at Rs.23.23crore.

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THE MANTRA 

Also the experience of DMRC CEO E.Shreedharan

has helped the Metro in more ways than one.

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SUCCESS MANTRA

To achieve its goal, DMRC has adopted a distinct work culture in which thecontractors are treated as partners in project implementation as the DMRCrealised that it could succeed only if the contractors succeed. We thus madesure that the decisions and payments to the contractors were made on timeand the pace of work on the sites was closely monitored at all times.

Internally, monitoring is done through a schedule of meetings which ensurevertical and horizontal communication within the organisation and timely

achievement of targets is watched through reverse countdown clocks andperiodic reviews.

At DMRC, we recognise the fact that it is not enough to use the besttechnology . Transparency, efficiency, accountability , service-orientation andparticipation of constituents are equally important. Transparency andaccountability are aspects in which we make no compromise. Maintainingcomplete transparency in all activities has ensured that external partiescannot exert undue influence on the activities of the organisation.

For all DMRC personnel, punctuality, integrity and professional competenceare essential qualities and no compromises are made on these accounts. Wespared no expense to ensure technical competence of employees, evenwhen it meant sending them to Hong Kong, Paris, London and other cities forexposure and training.

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OPERATIONAL REVENUE 

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OPERATING RATIO 

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PROFITS 

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DELHI METRO IN POPULAR CULTURE 

A book has been published about the Delhi Metro. It wasreleased in 2003.

Delhi Metro has been featured and has a specialmention in 2005 Bollywood film Bewafaa.

Delhi Metro has been featured in a Discovery Channel documentary 24 Hours with the Delhi Metro .

Delhi Metro has been extensively shown in the 2008

Subhash Ghai film Black & White, featuring Anil Kapoor.

The Delhi Metro is also featured in the Toronto FilmFestival Production "Amal".

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Metres below the rickshaws, hawkers and crowds of Delhi, a parallel world of air-conditioned calm, marble-lined floors and punctual trainsshowcases how India's crucial infrastructure can get built.

Modern trains quietly arrive at stations to calm announcers. No tea or food sellers ply the platform. Elevators feature sari meshes to stopthe flowing robes from getting caught in the gap, all in sharp contrast to India's mostly chaotic railway stations. Worries over India'sinfrastructure shortcomings have reached a crescendo in the last few months as signs of an overheating economy and supply bottlenecksfrom unfinished highways to packed ports have many thinking an economic boom could be short-lived.

In about 20 months from now, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

will complete the first phase of its mass rapid transport system in

the Capital.

The first phase will cover a distance of 62 kilometres, of

which 12 kilometres are underground and the remaining 50

kilometres are on elevated corridors.

And the total cost of the first phase is Rs 10,570 crore (Rs 105.7

billion).The completion of the first phase by September 2005

essentially means that a project as gigantic as this will be

implemented in a record time of seven years.

For a public sector undertaking, this is a dream run. There is hardly

any public sector project in this country, which has got

implemented before its schedule and has not seen any cost

escalation.

It was all an unlikely success. A previous attempt at a metro in

Kolkata ended with less than 20 km (12 miles) of line built in 23

years -- and 12 times over budget. The failure was blamed on

political meddling, technical problems and bureaucratic delays.