To beat rush hour, DMRC to induct 334 coaches to Delhi Metro trains

The DMRC and Delhi’s transport department officials did not give details on how and when these new coaches will be added but said the proposal to acquire the coaches was not a fresh one.

The Cabinet on Tuesday also cleared the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) proposal to add extra coaches to trains under its network.

Huge crowd seen at Rajiv Chowk Metro station, in New Delhi, December 4, 2018. (HT Photo)

The Metro agency will buy 334 coaches keeping in mind the commuter traffic in certain sections. “The cabinet cleared this so that trains are not overcrowded,” said deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

The DMRC and Delhi’s transport department officials did not give details on how and when these new coaches will be added but said the proposal to acquire the coaches was not a fresh one.

“It was a part of the Phase-IV detailed project report. But the coaches will be added to trains in the existing network,” a senior transport department official said.

DMRC officials said it has plans for enhancing occupancy in all the three operational phases —I, II and III.

According to the proposal sent to the Delhi government in October, the DMRC planned to induct 164 coaches for the Red (Dilshad Garden-Rithala), Yellow (Samaypur Badli-HUDA City Centre) and Blue (Noida/Vaishali-Dwarka) lines.

The documents added that this would enable the DMRC to convert all its remaining six-coach broad gauge trains into eightcoach trains on these lines, counted among its busiest corridors in terms of traffic volume.

Another 36 coaches are planned for the Airport Express Metro Line.

However, the DMRC has not yet received clarity on funding as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) expressed its unwillingness to fund it. The Delhi Metro knocked on the Centre’s door for a ₹2,000-crore loan.

The matter is now pending before the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), to whom the DMRC was directed by the Centre to seek sanctioning for the loan.