Delhi Metro has increased the operational speed of the Airport Express Line to 100 kmph, the fastest line in the capital city. Now, passengers can travel from Dwarka Sector-21 to New Delhi in just 21 minutes.
The 23-km Airport Express Line connects New Delhi and Dwarka Sector-21 metro stations. On Wednesday, the operational speed of the metro trains on the AEL was increased to 100 kmph
DMRC said the speed of trains will be increased to 120 kmph in a graded manner. The travel time on the Airport Line will be reduced to 19 minutes only, after the maximum speed limit of 120 kmph is implemented
The Airport Express Line is the fastest metro connection in India providing connectivity from the New Delhi Railway Station to Dwarka Sector-21 through IGI Airport T-3 and Aerocity. The average daily passenger journeys performed on this line is around 65,000
To give a perspective, the average speed of metro trains running on regular corridors such as the Yellow Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, among others, typically go at 40-50 kmph
DMRC said increasing the operational speed of the Airport Express Link to 100 kmph was a major engineering challenge for Delhi Metro's engineers
DMRC said the speed increase was one of the most challenging technological advancements in the history of metro train operations in the country
DMRC replaced 2.6 lakh existing tension clamps located on the rails across the entire Airport Line network with high-frequency tension clamps to make them more compatible with the revised speed strength
Delhi Metro called the speed increase a 'historic technological advancement'. The entire work on UP and DOWN line (46 kms) was completed only within six months