Delhi Metro makes over 3,500 trips to keep system ready for operations

Ventilation, AC systems being checked, cleaned during lockdown

04/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

The DMRC suspended operations after the lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.PTIRC

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Sunday said that since the suspension of services due to the nationwide lockdown, which began on March 22, over 3,500 trips have been made by metro trains to keep the system ready to resume operations.

The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of over 2,000 train coaches have been checked and a first-ever drive to clean HVAC systems of around 1,200 coaches with special chemicals by effectively utilizing the lockdown was also carried out, the DMRC said.

“This exercise would have otherwise lingered over longer periods due to train availability in normal scenario as carrying out such massive exercise has always been an issue in the past as trains run up to 20 hours a day. This thorough cleaning exercise would result in better air-conditioned environment in the summers,” the DMRC said.

It added that 3,500 workers employed in various Delhi metro sites are being taken care of since the beginning of the lockdown. All basic amenities including medical care are being provided to them. Over 110 reimbursable online courses have been provided for the DMRC to enhance their professional skills and knowledge during the lockdown period, the DMRC said.

Speaking on the 26th Foundation Day of the DMRC, its Managing Director, Mangu Singh congratulated the employees and said, “Today, the Delhi metro stands as one of the largest metro systems in the world with a massive network of 360 kilometres, 264 stations and 14 depots and more than 60,00,000 journeys with a punctuality of over 99%.”

Highlighting the achievements during the year gone by, the DMRC said that the Dwarka-Najafgarh metro corridor was inaugurated on October 4, 2019, taking the metro for the first time to outer Delhi, areas of west Delhi and the work for Delhi metro’s Phase 4 also commenced on December 30, 2019 on the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram corridor.