NEW DELHI: Calling it one of the most challenging technological advancements in the history of Metro train Operations in the country, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday increased the operational speed of the Airport Express link.
The operational speed of the Metro trains on the Airport Express Line (AEL) has now been increased from 90 kmph to 100 kmph after receiving mandatory approval from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). The speed of trains on this line will further be increased to 120 kmph in a graded manner subsequently.
The total travel time between New Delhi Airport Line to Dwarka Sec-21 Metro stations after the current increase in the operational speed of metro trains on the AEL will be around 21 minutes. Further, the travel time on the AEL will be reduced to 19 minutes only, after the maximum speed limit of 120 kmph is implemented in future.
The 23-km-long Airport Express Line is the fastest Metro connection in India providing seamless connectivity from the New Delhi Railway Station to Dwarka Sector 21 through IGI Airport T-3 and Aerocity. The average daily passenger on the Airport Express Line is around 6,5000.
“Increasing the operational speed of the Airport Express Link to 100 kmph was a major engineering challenge for Delhi Metro’s engineers. A detailed mechanism for the replacement of certain rail components, maintenance, and repair of civil structures, and re-profiling of certain Rolling stock components were put in place and the target was achieved only within six months, much ahead of the expected deadlines,” said a senior DMRC official.
The major activity included the replacement of more than 2.6 lakh existing tension clamps located on the rails across the entire AEL network with high-frequency tension clamps to make them more compatible with the revised speed strength.
“More than 100 technical staff were deployed each night for the replacement of these clamps to ensure timely completion. After the completion of tension clamp replacement work, each fastening was checked thoroughly. The entire work on the UP and DOWN lines (46 km total) of the AEL was completed within just six months,” an official further added.
