Wall collapse aftermath: DMRC replaces walls of 5 Pink Line stations with steel railings

DMRC replaces side walls with stainless steel railings at five Pink Line stations post Gokulpuri incident, enhances drainage system for safety.

New Delhi

A view of the Gokulpuri Metro station, where a wall collapse in February killed a motorist on the road below. (HT Photo)

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has replaced the side walls of five elevated stations on the Pink Line (Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar route) with stainless steel railings, in the aftermath of a wall collapse at the Gokulpuri Metro station in February that killed one person.

Officials said existing drainage pipes at the stations were also replaced, following an audit done in April. The five stations where changes were made are at Gokulpuri, Jafrabad, Welcome, East Azad Nagar and Krishna Nagar.

“This does not mean the remaining stations had any deficiency, but the structural plan was similar to Gokulpuri, so this has been done as a precautionary move,” a DMRC official, not wishing to be named, said. The official said that the railings are lighter but are more durable.

A portion of the Gokulpuri Metro station’s side wall, located adjacent to the stairs and platform, broke off on February 8, falling on the road below the station and killing a man on his scooter.

Officials said that to ensure rainwater did not impact these Metro stations, rainwater downtake pipes were also installed at the five stations, which will directly transport water from the roof to the ground. Further, saucer drains have also been provided at these five stations to drain off excess run-off from the stormwater drain.

DMRC said regular maintenance drives were also taken across the entire Metro network, alongside refurbishing infrastructure and equipment on the Red Line and Blue Line.

“No audit was carried out separately at other lines, but instead, we are doing maintenance drives. Such drives include checks of civil infrastructure, fresh coats of paint, change in sections of the viaduct, replacing signage, and inspection and upkeep of escalators,” the official said.

The Pink Line has 38 stations and spans 58 kilometres, making it the longest line in Delhi Metro’s network. It has 26 elevated stations and 12 underground stations. The Pink Line is further being expanded from Majlis Park to Maujpur under Phase-4, which will add another 12.55 kilometres to the line. The extension to the Pink Line is expected to open in mid-2026.