Average passenger journeys in Delhi Metro in May were a record high at 60.17 lakh against the 52.41 lakh in May 2023.
Officials said Delhi Metro has become a popular choice among commuters during the scorching summer.
“During this summer, when Delhi has been witnessing high temperatures, Delhi Metro is silently offering its cool service across the network by performing over 4,200 train trips and running around 1.40 lakh km daily. Thereby, it is giving much needed relief to commuters with a 24-degree Celsius pleasant commuting experience throughout the day,” Anuj Dayal, principal executive director for corporate communication with DMRC, said.
He added that Delhi Metro offers services in the most reliable and comfortable manner with no breakdowns or AC failures reported from any of its trains or underground stations which are designed for air-conditioning.
At present, DMRC has a fleet of over 345 trains with around 5,000 AC units installed in them. “To ensure that all AC units give their optimum performance during peak summer, a comprehensive health check for these units is done in March every year before summer starts. In addition, regular maintenance of the AC units is done every three months,” Dayal said. Besides this, train operators also regularly monitor coach temperature to promptly address issues related to temperature variation and to ensure a pleasant journey for passengers.
Similarly, all underground stations are equipped with building management systems (BMS) and a chiller plan manager (CPM) for remote monitoring and control of air conditioning units. This system continuously monitors the ambient and station temperature on a real-time basis and takes action to maintain the station temperature between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius, even when outside temperatures ranges from 45 to 50 degrees Celsius.
“Regular inspections are being conducted on infrastructure components sensitive to heat, such as escalators and lifts to prevent malfunction. The frequency of maintenance checks for heat-sensitive equipment is also increased during such periods. To prevent any incidence of fire, which is a common phenomenon during such heatwaves, DMRC has a mechanism of fire extinguishers and hoses at its stations which are regularly maintained. Sprinkler systems are regularly checked,” said a DMRC official.
DMRC said it is taking measures on construction sites. It has enforced the provision of providing breaks to the workforce during the afternoons due to the ongoing heatwave. “Other necessary provisions such as drinking water, medical facilities have also been made available at all our sites. We are ensuring that the workforce is not exposed to excessive heat,” Dayal said.
