Continuous glitches hit Delhi Metro's safe image

Once famous for setting new standards in civil construction, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going through a bad spell since 2009. The Zamrudpur accident in 2009 that claimed eight lives during the construction of the Badarpur line shook the metro.

Once famous for setting new standards in civil construction, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going through a bad spell since 2009. The Zamrudpur accident in 2009 that claimed eight lives during the construction of the Badarpur line shook the metro.

More recently, in September this year, the Noida City Centre metro station had to be shut down twice due to faults identified in its structure.

A day after HT reported cracks on seven metro pillars between R K Ashram and Karol Bagh (Pusa Road) stations, DMRC chief Mangu Singh denied the 'marks' were actually 'structural cracks' as described by several engineers.

The DMRC had earlier also rejected previous reports on major faults and cracks on the high-speed Airport Metro Express line in July 2012 and the sagging of Noida City Centre platform.

The cracks on pillars at Noida City Centre were not considered as serious initially. It was only on September 28, following media reports, that the DMRC admitted that there was deflection in one of the cantilever arms of the station that led to the sagging of its platforms.