Government proposes restart of Airport Metro

New Delhi  :  The government proposes to re-start the Airport Metro Express line which has remained suspended for over two months due to construction defects, Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy said here Wednesday.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha Wednesday, Roy said: “The average ridership of the Airport metro Express line till it shut down for repairs was about 17,000 passengers per day. It (repairs) will be done by M/s Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL), the concessionaire and operator of the Airport Metro Express train.”

Roy said prima facie, the investigations showed that there are defects in civil works of the Airport Metro Express Line.

“The investigation, prima facie, show that there are defects in civil works, such as crushing of grout material above and below bearings, and cracks and shifting of bearings at many locations. In addition, certain cracks and twists in some of the girders have also been noticed,” he said.

Operations on the Airport Metro, a joint venture between Delhi Metro and Reliance Infra, were suspended July 8 after some faults were detected in the civil structure of the line.

The Airport Metro covers over a 23-km distance between the New Delhi Railway Station and the Indira Gandhi International Airport in 18 minutes.