Delhi Metro completes 20 years: Overcoming the odds, Delhi Metro has successfully completed 20 years as the lifeline of the national capital. The first metro in Delhi was flagged off in 2002 by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The first train of the urban city rail system spanned 8.2 kms from Shahdara to Tis Hazari with just six stations. Today, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation operates 391 kilometers of the network on 12 corridors with 286 stations across Delhi and NCR. Let’s go down memory lane and look back at some of the key achievements of the Delhi Metro that led to this network becoming the salvation for the everyday commuter.
Green Metro
In 2011, DMRC was certified as the first metro and rail-based system by the United Nations which got carbon credits for cutting down greenhouse gas emissions. The UN report had then stated that had it not been for the metro, around 1.8 million people would have travelled via cars and buses which would have led to more pollution. The UN had said that DMRC would get $9.5m in carbon credits for seven years. Cut to 2021, the Delhi Metro had that year announced that it earned Rs 19.5 crore from sale of 3.55 million carbon credits collected over a period of six years from 2012 to 2018. This is one of the best examples of helping in achieving greater energy efficiency.
India’s first extra-dosed bridge
India’s first extra-dosed bridge, which means the first cable-stayed bridge by the DMRC added another feather to its cap in 2006. The bridge was between Indraprastha and Pragati Maidan on the Blue Line Metro. It was quite an achievement for the DMRC as it was quite difficult to construct the bridge considering that the railway crossing at Pragati Maidan was one of the busiest crossings with all important trains going towards Mumbai and Eastern India. This was only the second of its kind bridge in the world with the first one being built in Japan.
Rainwater harvesting and regenerative braking systems
Saving water in today’s day and age has become one of the driving factors in the fight against climate change, and in order to overcome water scarcity, the Delhi Metro conducts rainwater harvesting at most of the Blue line stations. The DMRC is also doing its bit towards protecting the climate by using a regenerative brake system. This system basically helps the metro network in saving reportedly about 35% of energy. That’s some environemental-firendly urban networking!
Awards and recognitions
In 2021, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers awarded the Delhi Metro
Delhi metro escalators protect your saree!
Each year, the Delhi Metro reportedly carries about 700 million passengers which is much bigger than the population of the United States. And out of these 700 million, there is a plethora of women of wear sarees on a regular basis. Recognising this, the DMRC has installed a saree guard feature in the Delhi Metro escalators. The fear of a Saree, which is a popular outfit donned by Indian women, getting stuck in the escalator was easily dealt with the Delhi Metro by installing this feature at the escalators. Isn’t that great?