DMRC unveils ₹2,000-cr Metro Neo corridor

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to build a Metro Neo corridor between Kirti Nagar and Bamnoli near Dwarka at an estimated investment of ₹2,000 crore. Metro Neo is a rail-guided urban transport system with rubber-tyred electric coaches and is powered by an overhead traction system running on elevated or at-grade sections. The light transit system costs about 20-25% of a Metro and has lower maintenance costs, said executive director (corporate communications), DMRC, Anuj Dayal, adding that the standard specifications for Metro Neo were issued by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs. Further modifications may be made to the technical specifications of the rolling stock as well as other allied requirements for this corridor.

The standalone corridor would connect Kirti Nagar interchange station, where Blue (Dwarka-Noida City Centre) and Green (Inder Lok-Brig Hoshiar Singh) lines of Delhi Metro meet the high-speed Airport Express Line, which is also being extended from Dwarka Sector 21 to Dwarka ECC near Bamnoli. The Metro Neo system would have three-coach sets of 12 m length each, and 2.5 m width, and a floor height of 300-350mm. Made of stainless steel or aluminum, the coaches would be smaller and lighter than Delhi Metro rakes. The average axle load would be around 10 tons instead of the usual 17 tons of Metro coaches.

The rubber-tyred Metro Neo coaches would run on road slabs, which could be elevated or at-grade. When running at-grade, Metro Neo would have a dedicated lane separating it from road traffic with the help of a plinth, fencing or kerfs. There would be an Automatic Train Protection system with an anti-collision feature and predefined speed limit.