Soon enough it is going to be 10 years since Delhi Metro started serving the people of Delhi.
No, I am not going to look back, into what it has achieved, like how long it is now, how many trains it runs, frequency of the trains over the various lines, the number of trips, how many people it carries etc. I am rather going to see where it may be going and how it should go wherever it chooses to go.
First I must establish my locus standi on this issue. I am an inveterate metro traveler. Sometimes I may even go out of the way to travel by the metro. To go to Green Park (Adyar Ananda Bhawan) from Paschim Vihar I would rather go Paschim Vihar–Rajiv Chowk/Kashmere Gate-Green Park by metro rather than take a bus along the Ring Road. I reach office at Nehru Place triple jumping between four lines. I have done this ever since the Green Line came on. Before that, whenever I had the chance I jumped onto the metro. Over the years, I have blogged on the good and also the bad of Delhi Metro (never on the ugly, if there are any, though). Thus, I establish my locus standi.
Try naming a public building in Delhi other than monuments that has given service for ten years and is still nothing to sneeze at. You cannot, with the exception of Delhi Metro stations. The metro coaches themselves bear no resemblance whatsoever to those of Indian Railways of even lesser vintage. Chalk these up to the cleanliness drive that appear almost intrinsic to the system. Please note that this is a non-comparative appreciation; no Kolkata v. Delhi here.
Nevertheless, I must tell you that to expect a public facility to survive ten years amongst the population of Delhi that is severely lacking in civic sense is indeed an achievement. How exactly will DMRC sustain this admirable performance, that is something to think about. It must need the help of an enlightened citizenry, assiduously cultivated by DMRC itself! Good luck!
I have heard that along the Yellow Line (running north-south), people of Safdarjung Hospital were miffed that while land was taken from them, the station was named after its rival across the road, AIIMS! Sibling rivalry, with the elder one being sidelined! Then, I thought if a station can have a compound name like Jasola Apollo (along the Purple Line), why could the current AIIMS station be not named AIIMS-Safdarjung? The name is not too long as we do have Satguru Ramsingh Marg station on the Green Line!
I do not know who has the final say on the names of stations on the metro network, DMRC or GNCTD? Whoever it may be, it must think of changing the name of the station which currently carries the tag AIIMS. To my mind, as glitzy as Apollo Hospitals may be, Safdarjung Hospital will still trump it in serving the people, reckoned holistically. Give credit where it is due.
While on names of stations, I will point out that there are two stations whose names are quite so alike that they are bound to create confusion. This particularly so as the two stations straddle a big interchange station, Kashmere Gate on the Yellow and Red lines. Shastri Nagar and Shastri Park stations located west and east of Kashmere Gate station respectively on the Red Line. You are in a hurry to catch the train at Kashmere Gate and someone stops you to ask for directions to either one of the above stations. It is not unlikely that you will direct her to the wrong platform! Why can DMRC not suggest a name change to GNCTD if that be the agency, as I have heard, responsible for station names? Reduce confusion in commuting.
It is good that signages are quite so standard across the DMRC network, the station environment has become familiar to Delhiites but without causing a drab uniform look. But, is it the urge to be different that caused the station signage on the platform at Tis Hazari station look distinct from the others? I think not. No more explanations from me would be needed if you took one quick look at the photographs below.
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DMRC, please do not introduce unnecessary and inappropriate variations that undermine your identity.
Safety appears to be a commitment of DMRC. How else will you explain the two short, gleaming metal posts below a deep signage as in the figure below? These posts gently guide you away from an unpleasant head butting with the signage. Thanks DMRC.
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However, look at the picture below; the posts are missing!
This station is newer than the one in the earlier picture, with the posts. Why no posts, DMRC? Are you becoming too casual about safety? Please don’t regress, after making a name for yourself.
As I said earlier, I am addicted to Delhi Metro. I would like to see it striving continuously to better itself. As it progresses, it must learn from its deficiencies and work to correct them. Delhi Metro network is starting to resemble a spider web, the defining metaphor for any advanced metro system, be it Tokyo, Moscow, London, wherever. I look forward to the day when Delhi Metro can rightfully claim to have spider webbed the National Capital Territory.
Raghuram Ekambaram
First I must establish my locus standi on this issue. I am an inveterate metro traveler. Sometimes I may even go out of the way to travel by the metro. To go to Green Park (Adyar Ananda Bhawan) from Paschim Vihar I would rather go Paschim Vihar–Rajiv Chowk/Kashmere Gate-Green Park by metro rather than take a bus along the Ring Road. I reach office at Nehru Place triple jumping between four lines. I have done this ever since the Green Line came on. Before that, whenever I had the chance I jumped onto the metro. Over the years, I have blogged on the good and also the bad of Delhi Metro (never on the ugly, if there are any, though). Thus, I establish my locus standi.
Try naming a public building in Delhi other than monuments that has given service for ten years and is still nothing to sneeze at. You cannot, with the exception of Delhi Metro stations. The metro coaches themselves bear no resemblance whatsoever to those of Indian Railways of even lesser vintage. Chalk these up to the cleanliness drive that appear almost intrinsic to the system. Please note that this is a non-comparative appreciation; no Kolkata v. Delhi here.
Nevertheless, I must tell you that to expect a public facility to survive ten years amongst the population of Delhi that is severely lacking in civic sense is indeed an achievement. How exactly will DMRC sustain this admirable performance, that is something to think about. It must need the help of an enlightened citizenry, assiduously cultivated by DMRC itself! Good luck!
I have heard that along the Yellow Line (running north-south), people of Safdarjung Hospital were miffed that while land was taken from them, the station was named after its rival across the road, AIIMS! Sibling rivalry, with the elder one being sidelined! Then, I thought if a station can have a compound name like Jasola Apollo (along the Purple Line), why could the current AIIMS station be not named AIIMS-Safdarjung? The name is not too long as we do have Satguru Ramsingh Marg station on the Green Line!
I do not know who has the final say on the names of stations on the metro network, DMRC or GNCTD? Whoever it may be, it must think of changing the name of the station which currently carries the tag AIIMS. To my mind, as glitzy as Apollo Hospitals may be, Safdarjung Hospital will still trump it in serving the people, reckoned holistically. Give credit where it is due.
While on names of stations, I will point out that there are two stations whose names are quite so alike that they are bound to create confusion. This particularly so as the two stations straddle a big interchange station, Kashmere Gate on the Yellow and Red lines. Shastri Nagar and Shastri Park stations located west and east of Kashmere Gate station respectively on the Red Line. You are in a hurry to catch the train at Kashmere Gate and someone stops you to ask for directions to either one of the above stations. It is not unlikely that you will direct her to the wrong platform! Why can DMRC not suggest a name change to GNCTD if that be the agency, as I have heard, responsible for station names? Reduce confusion in commuting.
It is good that signages are quite so standard across the DMRC network, the station environment has become familiar to Delhiites but without causing a drab uniform look. But, is it the urge to be different that caused the station signage on the platform at Tis Hazari station look distinct from the others? I think not. No more explanations from me would be needed if you took one quick look at the photographs below.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Safety appears to be a commitment of DMRC. How else will you explain the two short, gleaming metal posts below a deep signage as in the figure below? These posts gently guide you away from an unpleasant head butting with the signage. Thanks DMRC.
.jpg)
This station is newer than the one in the earlier picture, with the posts. Why no posts, DMRC? Are you becoming too casual about safety? Please don’t regress, after making a name for yourself.
As I said earlier, I am addicted to Delhi Metro. I would like to see it striving continuously to better itself. As it progresses, it must learn from its deficiencies and work to correct them. Delhi Metro network is starting to resemble a spider web, the defining metaphor for any advanced metro system, be it Tokyo, Moscow, London, wherever. I look forward to the day when Delhi Metro can rightfully claim to have spider webbed the National Capital Territory.
2 comments:
On the 10th Anniversary I must appreciate the great work being done by DMRC people.
Thanks for joining me, ahead of the date, Matheikal.
RE
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