New Delhi: Within 12 years of its inception, the Delhi Metro is on track to achieve feats surpassing the world’s historic metro stations.
The completion of Delhi Metro’s Phase III will not only increase the total length of its network in the national capital but also make Delhi a city with one of the highest number of metro stations anywhere in the world, according to a DMRC spokesperson.
The Delhi Metro network will have more than 241 stations after Phase III which will make it only the seventh city in the world to have more than 200 metro stations.
In Asia, Delhi will have the highest number of metro stations after Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul.
Most of the metro networks with more than 200 stations are operated by multiple operators, while in Delhi, apart from the six stations of the Airport link, all other lines are run by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
In 2016, the DMRC network will be of about 330 kilometres and after the completion of 103-km-long section under phase IV, the Delhi Metro will surpass the 150-year-old London underground system.
The Delhi Metro by 2016 will have 241 stations and the length of its network in the city will be a total of 330km. The London underground, which was built in the year 1863, is 402km long and has 270 stations.
The Seoul and Tokyo metro systems are 317km in length and have 293 and 274 stations respectively. The 424-km-long Shanghai Metro has 234 stations.
Russia’s Moscow metro is 305-km-long with 185 stations while Paris’ 215-km-long subway has 301 stations.
In China, 336-km-long Beijing metro system has a total of 172 stations while the Hong Kong metro is 211km long with 155 stations.
Delhi Metro was recently ranked second among 18 international Metro systems in terms of overall customer satisfaction in an online customer survey.
In the survey conducted among the commuters of those Metro systems by Global Metro Benchmarking Groups ‘NOVA’ and ‘COMET’, Delhi Metro along with London DLR and Bangkok were the best three performers in the ‘Net Promoters Score’ (NPS) category.
Medical help
The Delhi Metro has rendered immediate medical assistance to more than 1,850 passengers since January 2012, an official statement said on Sunday.
“The assistance provided by the Delhi Metro staff [inside trains and at stations] ranges from administering first aid to taking ailing passenger to the nearest hospital by ambulance,” a Delhi Metro statement said.
“They have also been provided with wheel chairs and stretchers as per the need.”
Of these, approximately 100 cases have been of heart-related ailments, around 340 related to chest, stomach or abdominal pain. Other cases include fainting while travelling, giddiness and dehydration during summers.
“In these cases, the ailing passengers have been rushed to the nearest hospital and Metro personnel have accompanied them in case, they were travelling alone or their accompanying passengers required further assistance,” the statement said.
To ensure quick assistance in such situations, all Metro staff undergo a weeklong training in first aid as part of their basic training programme.
Additionally, all Metro stations have contact details of nearby hospitals and ambulance services. Commuters can also contact the Delhi Metro helpline — 155370 — for any assistance and also use the services of the Passenger Emergency Alarm.