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Power woes may cut short Delhi Metro’s airport trip
The Airport Express Line metro service, slated to provide a faster commute to the airport from the city, may just be saddled with power cut problems.
The Airport Express Line metro service, slated to provide a faster commute to the airport from the city, may just be saddled with power cut problems.
The metro service on the Express Line will be dependant on just one dedicated reliable sub-station (RSS), also known as a power sub-station.
Normally, there is always another, additional power sub-station to provide back-up to the line in case the main RSS fails to supply power to the Metro fleet.
"If the power supply gets disrupted, the Express Line metro service will come to a halt, until the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) makes alternative arrangements," said an official with Reliance Infrastructure, the operator responsible for the same, on condition of anonymity.
The Airport Express Line is expected to open for commuters sometime this month.
"We have built one RSS at IGI Airport to supply power to the Express Line; another sub-station at Central Secretariat is under construction. The power sub-station at Central Secretariat will be ready by next year, which will provide back up to the Express Line in case of emergency," said a DMRC spokesperson.
He, however, said that one power sub-station was enough to ensure power supply to the entire 22.7-km-long metro corridor.
"There is no chance of power failure from the sub-station at IGI Airport," the spokesperson added.
However, contrary to the confidence of the DMRC, the existing sub-station at the IGI Airport had failed to supply power to the Express Line on October 20 during a trial run.
When DMRC was informed about the same, it allegedly could not make any alternative arrangements for seven hours.
"The power supply failed around 3pm and the DMRC made arrangements to supply power from its new Delhi RSS around 10pm," said a Reliance Infrastructure official.
"If similar disruption occurs after we launch the service and DMRC fails to make alternative arrangements immediately, passengers will suffer a lot."
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