'Have back-up arrangements to evacuate passengers in case of total power outage'

New Delhi: Amid apprehensions of power supply disruptions in Delhi, the DMRC on Tuesday said Metro's operational need accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the total power requirement of the city, and even if there is a total breakdown, passengers can be evacuated from trains and stations using back-up arrangements.

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson, interacting with reporters on the sidelines of its 28th Foundation Day on Tuesday, also said the mass rapid transit system's operations in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) require around three million units of power per day.

"The 3 MU (million unit) electricity is used for traction and auxiliary requirements such as lighting and air conditioning, lifts and escalators, and fire fighting load, etc," the spokesperson said.

Amid a deepening coal shortage crisis, the Delhi government on Thursday had warned that there may be problem in providing uninterrupted electricity supply to important establishments in the capital including Metro trains and hospitals.

At present, the DMRC is handling operations and maintenance of over 390 km of network, comprising 286 metro stations, including the Rapid Metro in Gurugram and Aqua Line in Greater Noida, and is ranked amongst one of the world's largest Metro networks.

DMRC's Managing Director Vikas Kumar, when asked if there will be an impact on the Metro operation due to the impending power crisis, said,"Delhi Metro's power requirement accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the total power requirement of the city."

"DMRC receives around 2 MU electricity from power distribution companies of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Around 0.9 MU power is received from the on-site solar power plant through open access. Further, 0.1 MU is drawn from the rooftop solar power plants installed on Delhi Metro's stations and depots," the spokesperson said.

"Also, in case there is a total breakdown and all grids fail, we have back-up arrangements, like batteries, inverters, DG sets to provide power to system, to evacuate passengers out of trains and stations, but trains won't operate in that condition," he told the reporters.

Also, the DMRC has about 28-29 substations, so even if one substation fails, there are other options, the official said.

"Generally a long Metro line has four substations. Even if one of those reports failure, power supply will be made from other substations," the spokesperson said.