Delhi airport metro line, now running at 100 kmph

Addressing a press conference, Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, DMRC, said, “We will observe the performance for a month now. When a train runs, there is a speed restriction and to increase the speed, a lot of parameters are involved. Track as well as the train plays an important role. To achieve this speed, a lot of work was done on the train, its wheel and the track. The fittings of the track, which are called clamps, had to be replaced.”

Terming it a historic technological advancement in Metro train operations, Dayal said a detailed mechanism for the replacement of certain rail components, maintenance, and repair of civil structures, and re-profiling of certain rolling stock components were put in place and the target was achieved only within six months, much ahead of the expected deadlines.

“We replaced 2.6 lakh existing tension clamps located on the rails across the entire AEL network with high-frequency tension clamps to make them more compatible with the revised speed strength. Whenever the speed of the metro is increased, the readings are monitored, data has been collected and analysed. If the results are satisfactory, we hope that the CMRS, the statutory authority which gives sanction, will permit us to increase the operational speed of the train to 110 kmph,” he added.

The entire work on the up and down lines (46 km in total) was completed in six months.