No 8-coach trains for Phase 3 lines

Metro commuters' hopes for 'bigger' and better service stand dashed. The new lines in Phase 3 expansion will not have eight-coach trains. "All trains in phase 3 corridors will have six coaches," said Sharat Sharma, director (operations), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Subhendu Ray reports.

Metro commuters' hopes for 'bigger' and better service stand dashed. The new lines in Phase 3 expansion will not have eight-coach trains. "All trains in phase 3 corridors will have six coaches," said Sharat Sharma, director (operations), c (DMRC).

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However, eight-coach trains will ply on the Jahangirpuri-Badli stretch, which would be an extension of line 2 that connects Gurgaon with Jahangirpuri, he said. On all other extensions of existing lines, four- and six-coach trains will run.

"The stations in phase 3 are designed to accommodate up to six-coach trains. The new signalling system also does not support eight-coach trains," Sharma said. But he did say that if the rush goes out of control, the DMRC will increase the frequency of the trains.

To begin with, trains on phase 3 corridors will run at a frequency of 2.15 minutes during peak hours. Presently, the frequency is every 2.5 minutes.

Delhi Metro had introduced the first eight-coach train on the busy Gurgaon-Jahangirpuri corridor (line 2) a month ago. But so far, it has only been able to bring that number to five and will not introduce these trains on the other busy line (Dwarka-Noida-Vaishali) for at least another eight to nine months.

He also said that 37 six-coach trains on line 2 will be converted into eight-coach ones by October. The same will happen for 31 six-coach trains on the Dwarka line.

Delhi Metro has already placed the orders for procurement of 212 new coaches.