Be it punctuality or efficacy of service, Delhi Metro officials claim the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) ranks among the top five metro rail systems in the world.

Despite several teething problems, most of which, officials claim, stem from a lack of awareness among Metro commuters, DMRC officials feel the mass rapid transit system has fared quite well and managed to deliver services at par with international standards.

The DMRC currently maintains a punctuality of 99.5 per cent, and headway time of just one minute for train delay, Raj Kumar, Director (Operations) said. "Metro rail systems in other countries, in contrast, consider a delay of around three to five minutes as train delay, though they too have a punctuality rate of approximately 99 per cent. The DMRC certainly ranks among the top five metro rail systems in the world." Kumar also pointed out that in the underground Metro system in London, three to four stations covering a distance of three to four km are shut down for maintenance work at any point of time. The DMRC, however, undertakes maintenance work (which usually spans four hours) only during night time and on Sundays, when the rush is lower, Kumar claimed.

In terms of manpower, the Delhi Metro will have 36 persons per km (for general operations) at the end of Phase II, among the lowest in the world. "Other countries such as Singapore have a ratio of 30 persons per km; Hong Kong has 60 persons per km. The figures show that DMRC has a lean structure, despite which we have high operational standards since we use better technology," Kumar claimed.

Officials admitted that they do face constant operational problems due to misuse by commuters. "There is a lack of awareness among commuters, which affects our operations. Lifts that are meant to be used by the handicapped and the elderly are usually crowded by others. At times young children intentionally press the emergency button to stop the escalators. We also see at least two to three cases of the automatic fare collections gate bars being broken every day, as commuters try to force their way through," Kumar said.

The DMRC has also been facing problems of track thefts. In the last year, 53 theft cases were registered, which included stealing of cables, hose pipes used for fire extinguishers and nozzles.

"These thefts severely hamper our services as we try to repair the loss," Kumar said.

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 At least 12 persons were injured, including two seriously when two cranes collapsed at a Delhi Metro Railway Construction (DMRC) construction site in South Delhi. The accident occurred on the Connaught Place-Gurgaon railway line.

According to DMRC sources, the mishap occurred in the Said-ul-Ajaib area, which located near the historical Outub Minar. The injured have been rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospitals for treatment.

Rescue teams have arrived at the site.

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E.Sreedharan, who has been the managing director of the DMRC since its inception, announced his resignation at a press conference here and expressed "lot of pain and remorse" over the pre-dawn accident in south Delhi.

Sreedharan just turned 77-year-old. He came to be known as "Metro Man" for delivering to the capital a world-class Metro rail system. He sent his resignation to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Governor Tejendra Khanna following the accident around 5.00 a.m. Sunday. Five people were killed including an engineer and 15 people were injured in one of the worst accidents involving Delhi Metro.

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