[Reader-list] Metro at night

[Shivam]

Here's another, wish they had uploaded the pix that the paper had.
Note how the metro has been 'disciplining' citizens, despite all the
cynicism we saw on day 1 when there was a stampede, and we all heard
the holier than thou commentary about how we don't deserve the
metro...
Shivam



  Metro at night 
 
  How do they make it sparkle and gift-wrap it for the city every
night? AMBA BATRA finds out in an exclusive ride, long after the last
commuter has gone home.
 
  Amba Batra 
  New Delhi, October 9: 
  http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=102900


Delhi Metro has a mesmerising effect on commuters. People who won't
think twice before spitting, littering or scrawling — say on a DTC bus
— hold it in awe. It's a gift that they cherish and it, in turn,
checks their baser instincts. That a train service that carries about
one lakh commuters daily, and through a stretch that has suddenly
emerged from the dark ages, should be so well-maintained is
remarkable.

But it's not just the effect at work — there's a lot of effort too.
When the city goes to sleep after 10, and the trains — between Rithala
and Shahdara — quickly end their last trips, breezing through the
green-roofed stations, a new story beings to unfold.

The trains which have been in service for nearly two years show no
traces of wear and tear. The drivers lead them towards the workshed at
Shastri Park Depot where they are to be washed and scrubbed. At the
stations on the way, a workforce of cleaners on contract have already
begun their third shift. They mop the floors and give an extra shine
to all stainless steel accessories in perfected routine, picking up
bits of paper and erasing dusty footprints.

All cleaning work at Delhi Metro is outsourced. Batches of 10 cleaners
cover the stations in three shifts every eight hours. ''Our cleaning
work never stops, and it's because of our persistence that even
commuters have become responsible,'' says Satish Kumar, Director,
Rolling Stock and Electricals.

''While the life of a station is 100 years, the trains have a life of
30 years. All the areas of both train and stations are easily wipeable
and one usually finds wrappers and the odd lost and found item,'' says
Piyush Bhardwaj, Deputy General Manager, Rolling Stock.

The first stop is the washing plant. Here, the train is soaped and
rinsed once every three days and 50 per cent of the water is recycled.
Then the train is parked at the workshed where it's handed over to the
contract cleaners. All 15 trains are cleaned internally every day by a
team of 30. Between several cups of tea and many rounds of gossip,
they rub a special chemical solution to make the windows, doors and
seats sparkle.

It takes the workers about an hour to clean a train and the the first
one is ready to roll out at 4.45 am.