Not yet on the right track

The Metro Museum in Delhi is at best basic.

The peak hour buzz has just begun at the Patel Chowk Metro station in New Delhi. The turnstiles are busy with commuters arriving and departing. But hardly anyone notices the walls and displays on the concourse between the two sets of turnstiles, except a few college students who have time to kill. The walls are the Metro Museum.

The London Transport Museum was the model chosen to be replicated in Delhi to chronicle the Metro’s story. The Patel Chowk station got the nod and the museum was inaugurated in January 2008.

As soon as you get off a train at the station, you have signs aplenty pointing towards the museum. It is in your face when you enter the concourse, with the first display catching the eye — a neon-lamp lit map of the rail network. The size and breadth of the Metro, when ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, becomes apparent on this map.

The story of the Delhi Metro is well laid out in the displays explaining its history. It is fascinating to note that the genesis of the idea came way back in 1967. And surveys as early as the 1970s and 1980s warned of Delhi’s burgeoning traffic. The first runs — trial and operational — are well-documented. Of particular interest is the standard gauge versus broad gauge debate that brought Metro planning to a standstill. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in a display, makes it clear that it favoured standard gauge, but it was forced to accept broad gauge for the initial stages and is now doing its latest additions to the network in standard gauge. There are model trains to look at, which is not very interesting since you might have taken the real thing to get there. The models of the tunnel boring machine and a tooth from one of the machines on display is interesting. Mannequins explaining staff uniforms are informative. At the last counter you can buy Delhi Metro memorabilia.

The museum overall is a good attempt but breaks no new ground. It doesn’t have the “wow” factor as it lacks the kind of heritage that comes with a pioneering project such as the London Underground. And finally, it is disappointing that there is little to no art in the Delhi Metro stations.

Score: 6/10. The museum is just there.

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