Sreedharan ‘disappointed’ with Airport Metro

During a two-hour inspection of the high-speed link,Sreedharan was “disappointed” with the frequency of trains at 20 minutes,lack of proper passenger amenities,signages and mobile phone connectivity,an official said.

The Metro chief boarded the train at New Delhi station at 9 am and travelled up to Dwarka Sector-21,the terminating station on the corridor. “He got down at all operational stations and inspected the amenities available for commuters. He stressed on the importance of increasing the frequency of trains on the corridor to provide better connectivity and service to commuters,” a DMRC statement said.

The Reliance Infrastructure-led concessionaire,Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL),however,maintained that the train frequency will be increased only when traffic picks up.

Sreedharan expressed dissatisfaction over lack of tea/coffee vending machines,and insisted that stations must have refreshment kiosks,the statement said. “He pointed out lack of proper signage and mobile phone connectivity on the underground sections. He also noticed that the announcements made inside the trains and at the stations were not adequate,and did not give correct information at times.”

The concessionaire,responding to these remarks,said “sufficient signages have been put up” and the mobile phone infrastructure is in place.

Admitting to the possibility of temporary announcement problems,a DAMEPL spokesperson said: “We will check and resolve it if any problem is found in the system.”

Sreedharan noted that the “maximum speed of the trains must be increased up to 120 kmph and all issues related to it must be sorted out at the earliest.” Currently,trains on the corridor are running at a maximum speed of 105 kmph.