Behind time,Airport Metro still has to clear fire test

Delayed by well over two months,the 22.7-km showcase Airport Metro Express Line,a public-private partnership between the Delhi Metro and a consortium led by Reliance Infrastructure,has run into Atrouble on several counts. This was the first Delhi Metro line to be denied certification by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) after inspection.

Following inspections on September 27-28,the CMRS notified the DMRC about deficiencies like incomplete false ceiling,emergency staircases and exit points,ticket counters,electrification work,software and signalling. Now,the DMRC does not want to invite the CMRS till all work is completed. It conducted an inspection of the corridor on November 8 and is now awaiting fire clearance for the line.

A spokesperson for Reliance Infra said: “All the work required for the CMRS clearance has been duly completed. Only the fire clearance is awaited,which is a prerequisite for inviting the CMRS for inspection. We are expecting fire clearance within a week. Once all statutory clearances are achieved,the Airport Line will be operational.”

But sources said the Dhaula Kuan Metro station will not be opened even if the line is commissioned by the end of this month. “A lot of work at the station is still pending. So it is not targeted for opening along with the rest of the line. It will take at least another month or so to complete work at the station,” an official said.

The corridor threw up several new challenges for the DMRC. “This is an arrangement where DMRC has limited control over the concessionaire. So far,in all corridors we have had to deal with contractors over whom we have had full control. If work isn’t delivered on time,we replace them or engage other agencies to avoid delays. For the Airport Line,since we have given it out to a concessionaire that has invested its own money in the project and is responsible for operations in the corridor,we have a limited role to play. The concessionaire has primary say over operations,” Mangu Singh,Director (Works),DMRC told Newsline.