New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has begun a mid-life refurbishment of its oldest Blue Line trains to improve passenger safety, comfort and overall travel experience, a statement said on Sunday.
Under the initiative, the DMRC is upgrading its earliest rolling stock (RS-1) trains, many of which were inducted between 2002 and 2007 and have completed nearly two decades in service, it said.
According to the statement, the upgrades are meant to bring these trains in line with current technological and safety standards. A total of 70
trains operating on the Blue and Red lines are being refurbished in phases.
Twelve trains were upgraded in the first phase and 18 in the second.
Work on additional trains is set to begin shortly. As many as 22 more Blue Line trains are scheduled to be refurbished by November 2027 in the third phase, the statement said.
DMRC Managing Director Vikas Kumar recently inspected the first train refurbished under the third phase before it was reintroduced into passenger service.
The refurbishment includes improvements to both interiors and critical systems. Coaches and driver cabins have been repainted to address wear and tear, while electrical panels have been upgraded to enhance reliability.
New features such as IP-based passenger announcement and information systems, CCTV cameras and LCD-based dynamic route maps have been installed to provide real-time updates on routes, station arrivals and other travel information.
Safety measures have also been strengthened with the installation of fire detection systems equipped with smoke and heat sensors,
it stated and added that in addition, older relays and miniature circuit breakers have been replaced with advanced units to ensure smoother and safer operations.
The statement said all coaches of upgraded trains are also being fitted with mobile and laptop charging points, along with new connectors and cables to support the enhanced systems and future upgrades.