Metro starts dry run on ITO-Mandi House leg

NEW DELHI: Six months after throwing open the re-worked Mandi House station of the Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate line, Delhi Metro is gearing up to open the ITO station. On Thursday, it started trial runs on this section between Mandi House and ITO. Metro officials said trials will go on for more than a month, after which DMRC will seek a safety audit.The station will be opened after the audit.
Anuj Dayal, spokesman for DMRC, said, "During trial runs, the interaction of the Metro train with physical infringements (civil structure) will be checked to ensure that there is no physical blockage during the movement of the train on the track. The entire signalling system will also undergo rigorous testing. In addition, the response of the train at different speeds, braking and the interconnection with Operations Control Centre (OCC) will also be monitored".
The first trial train on the section was flagged off from ITO Metro station by Mangu Singh, head of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Construction work for this underground stretch, which is part of the 9.37km-long Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate line, is "almost complete", said DMRC. It is expected to be opened for commuter operations after successful trials and mandatory approvals.
"The opening of this stretch, originally scheduled for December 2015, has been advanced since the ITO Metro station will cater to a large number of office-goers," said Dayal. Apart from people commuting to their offices-Delhi Police headquarters, UGC, Bal Bhawan etc are located here-it will also benefit sports enthusiasts who often come to watch football and cricket matches at Ambedkar and Feroz Shah Kotla stadiums, said Metro officials. As per the detailed project report (DPR) of the station, approximately 22,000 passengers are expected to use it by 2016. The number is likely to cross the 31,000 mark in 2021.
Work on this stretch was started in April 2012 and has been completed in two years and nine months, seven months ahead of schedule. Originally, it was slated to be completed by July 2015, claimed Dayal.