CHALLENGES FACED BY DELHI METRO RAIL CORPORATION

In operations, constant efforts are being made to tackle the problem of overcrowding.

In construction, carrying out work on congested roads without causing inconvenience to
the general public is a major challenge.

Delhi Metro has been criticized for passenger management and low train frequency for
that more than a hundred trains have been converted from the four-coach formation to the
six-coach formation.


Problems related to security threats:

Security of the Delhi Metro is being made bullet-proof as 200 new shot resistant
morchas (fortified boxes) will be placed for CISF troops at the entry points of the
station

Delhi Airport Metro: Lenders slap recovery notices on DMRC, Reliance Infrastructure:
Faced with their loan exposure to the Delhi Airport Metro Express Link project turning
into a non-performing asset, a consortium of lenders has initiated steps for recovery of
the dues. The lenders consortium, headed by Axis Bank, has sent recovery notices to
both Reliance Infrastructure (promoter of the original concessionaire) and Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation (which is now operating the Airport Metro link), sources in the banking
industry said. The consortium has an overall exposure of about Rs. 1,800 crores to the
project. The lenders had met senior Finance Ministry officials on the issue recently,
sources said. Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd, the special purpose vehicle floated by
RInfra to execute the project, had in July said it had terminated the concession agreement
with DMRC through a notice sent in October 2012. The termination is, however, under
arbitration. Banks contend that the notice for termination does not absolve Reliance
Infrastructure of repayment of the dues. Apart from Axis Bank, the consortium includes
Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Dena Bank, Central Bank of India and the London
subsidiary of India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd. IIFC (UK) has an exposure of $54
million (around Rs. 340 crores today) out of the total Rs. 1,800 crores provided by the
consortium.
Problems in Phase III expansion, mainly because of land acquisition hurdles:

Building stations in dense East Delhi. Areas such as Karkarduma, East Vinod nagar and
Trilokpuri are packed with densely populated unauthorized colonies. Metro stations have
to be constructed at places like Jamia Nagar, Kalindi kunj and Jaffarabad and land has to
be acquired from the UP irrigation department. In basai darapurr and mayapri, JJ clusters
need to be shifted, which is taking time. Land has to be acquired in the cantonment area
from the Defense authorities. At Dhaula kuan, the Mukundpur-Yamuna vihar line will
reach its highest point, going over the Airport Express line. This is a challenge for metro
engineers.
Slew of tunnels and bridges pose engineering challenges:
From building bridges on the Yamuna to constructing over 70 tunnels, Delhi Metro faces
several challenges during construction of the Phase III corridor. Under Phase III, the
Delhi Metro is constructing 74 tunnels for its 47km-long underground corridors. Officials
said that to minimise the risk to surrounding buildings during the construction of tunnels,
Delhi Metro will install a system that will gather vibration data during digging work. This
data will help the Metro minimise the risk to buildings during construction work.
Problems in Delhi Metro's Blue line again, commuters stranded:
Traffic on snag-prone Dwarka to Noida City Centre line of Delhi Metro was disrupted
today due to signal problem, delaying scores of commuters. "Due to track circuit
(signaling) problem, between Mandi House and Pragati Maidan section, trains on Line
3/4 are running with a restricted speed of 25 kmph in this section leading to uneven
frequency of trains on the route
Despite assurances that the DMRC would enjoy autonomy, it faced political pressure not
only in the recruitment process, processes, promotions, and contract awarding but also in
land acquisition.The DMRC also faced the difficult task of relocating the people
evicted from properties acquired for the project. It had to build temporary
accommodations for the people who were to be relocated. With the Delhi Metro Act
coming into force, the DMRC faced few legal problems in acquiring properties. About
400cases were filed against the DMRC on this issue, out of which only 100 were pending
as of 2006.