Delhi Metro to begin ultrasonic testing of rails, welds to boost safety

Days after the Delhi Metro faced a series of technical snags that disrupted services and caused overcrowding on several routes, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start ultrasonic testing of rail welds to strengthen safety checks across its network.

A tender was issued on October 7, seeking agencies for "Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of Alumino-Thermic (AT) welds and rails (using B-scan machines for rail testing)" on six lines, including the Airport Express Line.

The contract, valued at around Rs 1.89 crore, will be executed over a period of three years. As per the tender, the project aims to detect hidden defects in rails and welds that could otherwise lead to operational issues or safety risks.

"Ultrasonic flaw detection will be utilised in metro systems for rapid, non-destructive testing (NDT) of rail tracks to identify internal issues such as cracks and corrosion," the tender read.

Testing will be carried out on Lines 3 and 4, which are the oldest Blue Line routes, covering Noida to Dwarka and Yamuna Bank to Vaishali. These lines experienced two days of technical issues in September.

Other lines include Line 6 (Violet Line) connecting Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh via New Delhi, Line 8 (Magenta Line) from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden, Line 9 (Grey Line) from Dwarka to Dhansa Bus Stand, and the Airport Express Line.

The initiative follows multiple incidents of technical glitches in recent months. On September 1, the Metro reported its third snag within a week, affecting the Yellow and Blue Lines and resulting in overcrowding at several stations.

A signalling fault between Barakhamba and Indraprastha stations on the Blue Line and another near Millennium City Centre in Gurugram slowed train movement, forcing operations into manual mode.

Earlier, on May 21, services on the Blue Line were delayed due to a snag, while on August 24, the Red Line also experienced disruptions.

According to the tender, periodic testing is part of DMRC's preventive maintenance programme to ensure the safety and reliability of the capital's mass transit system, which carries millions of passengers daily.