Starting from Sunday, trains on the Delhi Metro’s Airport Line will operate at a speed of 120 kmph, which is an increase from the previous speed of 90 kmph. This achievement has been made possible through careful planning and execution by the engineers at DMRC, along with various government agencies and experts in the field.
The DMRC has announced that starting from September 17, the Airport Express Line will be running at an impressive speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be inaugurating the first phase of the India International Convention and Expo Centre, named YashoBhoomi, in Dwarka. On the same day, the extension of the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line from Dwarka Sector 21 to a new metro station at Dwarka Sector 25 will be opened.
The extension of the Airport Express Line to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 will become operational from 3 pm on September 17. The increased speed will be implemented on this line following the inauguration of the extension.
The existing Airport Express Line connects New Delhi metro station to Dwarka Sector 21 station. The travel time from New Delhi to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector-25 will now be approximately 21 minutes, reducing the travel time by about three minutes compared to before. The travel time between New Delhi and Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport will be around 15 minutes and 30 seconds, compared to slightly over 18 minutes previously.
To accommodate trains running at high speeds, more than 2.6 lakh tension clamps were replaced along the entire corridor. Most of this work was done during nighttime hours to minimize disruptions to the service. Rigorous testing was conducted on a trial track before implementing these changes on the main corridor.
The DMRC completed this project in just six months, which was originally estimated to take 18 months. They used advanced monitoring systems to ensure smooth movement at higher speeds and conducted extensive testing to verify the signaling infrastructure and safety certifications.
The necessary adaptations were made to the overhead equipment system to accommodate trains running at 120 kmph. The operational speed has already been increased to 100 kmph on March 22 and further to 110 kmph on June 22, with the necessary safety certifications in place for the latest speed increase to 120 kmph.
