Delhi Metro is not happy with the Airport Metro Express corridor and wants its operator Reliance Infrastructure to improve train speed, frequency and other aspects in four months, failing which it may take over operations.
The unpleasant experience has led the DMRC to decide against involving private parties further, according to its chief E. Sreedharan.
“Our PPP experience was not very pleasant with Airport Metro. First of all, the works were not completed on time. The line was supposed to be ready for Commonwealth Games but it got delayed by five months. Even after opening, they have not been able to increase the speed to (the promised speed of) 120 kmph,” he said.
“I am not very happy with the performance. It should have been an aristocratic type of service which it is not today,” he said.
He pointed out several deficiencies like the proposed frequency of 10 minutes not being implemented and check-in time for fliers that are to be corrected.
Sreedharan, who will demit office on December 31 after an eventful 16-year-tenure as DMRC managing director, said that Reliance Infra had been issued a number of notices, including one just few days ago, demanding improvement.
Asked about the next step if Reliance Infra did not take steps to improve, Sreedharan said, “If they don’t improve then we will have to think of even terminating the arrangement. We can take over and there is a provision for taking over (in the agreement).”
On how long will the Delhi Metro wait, he said: “Three to four months. Otherwise, we have to give them final notice (for taking over). At least they should show their intention to improve.”
“Yes. Then we will have to take over,” he said when asked what would happen if things do not improve in three-four months. The DMRC has awarded a 30 year build-operate-transfer contract to the Reliance Infra-led consortium.
The “Metro Man” who revolutionised the way of travel in Delhi said he met the top brass of Reliance Infra couple of days ago and told them to improve on a dozen areas.
“I had a meeting with the top man (Anil P. Gupta, president of Reliance Infra) three-four days back and we drew his notice to the areas that need improvement,” he said, adding that the Delhi Metro could have managed things in a different way if it had to operate the corridor.
The areas include several improvements on train coaches as Sreedharan feels the trains are not as “good as we expected”.
The DMRC chief also informed that he has constituted a committee to go into the issue and submit a report within the next 15 days on the corrective measures to be taken.
The noise level inside the trains on Airport Line is “very high” and the concessionaire will have to do a “lot of things to improve it,” he said.
“There should be double windows in trains. Now they have only single windows,” he said.
Sreedharan said the operator has filed an application for increasing the speed to 120 kmph and the test is likely to be done by the end of this month.
He said the Delhi Metro is a “little soft” with Reliance Infra because the ridership is low and the operator was making “a lot of losses”. “We don’t want to rub,” he said.
Contending that the corridor has not been able to attract many passengers even eight months after it became operational, he said the line should be carrying at least 30,000 to 40,000 passengers a day. The current ridership is around 20,000.
“They have to attract passengers to make it viable,” he said. — PTI