Title - Metro ex-boss E. Sreedharan backed 'faulty' clamps which derailed airport line

The railway ministry has tentatively red-flagged the type of tension clamps that cracked in a short span and put the brakes on Metro Airport Express Line operations last month.

Curiously, current as well as former senior officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), including ex-chief E. Sreedharan, made a strong pitch for the same track fastening system. This despite it having derailed the Metro networks of China and Germany.

Mail Today is in possession of a set of documents which establish that the DMRC top brass recommended the clamps for all future Metro projects, not only in the national Capital for the third phase, but also in cities such as Hyderabad, Jaipur and Pune.

Then DMRC boss Sreedharan - regarded as the moving force behind the Delhi Metro - had written a letter in this regard to the railways on December 28, 2011, just three days prior to his retirement. He sought expeditious clearance for the fastening system for Phase III.

Mail Today has also obtained letters in which other senior officials, too, have evinced a keen interest in the particular brand of clamps. The component is produced by German manufacturer Vossloh. The authorities are yet to ascertain how cracks developed in the Airport Express clamps which are meant to fasten tracks. But the ministry appears to be taking no chances and has, for the time being, clamped down on the component during the Metro's expansion in the third phase.

The railway ministry has been insisting on a fresh approval for using the Vossloh clips because the system was not examined and approved according to the laiddown performance criteria.

Cracks developed in the track fastening system installed on the Airport Express Line between December 2011 and January 2012. Also known as the Orange Line, it was flagged off on February 23, 2011 after missing four deadlines.

An inspection by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) - a Lucknow-based research body affiliated to the railway ministry - at the end of March, 2012, revealed that cracks had developed in over 11,000 tension clamps. For safety reasons, the system was replaced and the train speed on the line was reduced from 105 kmph to 80 kmph.

The Sreedharan letter (DMRC/20/II-125/2011) stated that in view of the highly satisfactory performance of the system (RHEDA 2000), DMRC wanted to use the clamps for Delhi Metro tracks during Phase III.

While the railway ministry had already declined DMRC's plea on two earlier occasions, it asked the latter to seek fresh approvals for using the system again. This would necessitate the clamps being examined in tune with the ministry's procedures.

The then Metro chief was not amused by this and questioned the technical competence of the ministry itself for giving a green light in the matter.

Advocating further use of the system, Sreedharan's letter stated: "The RHEDA track system with Vossloh clips is successfully in use in other countries and DMRC would like to adopt a technically superior system for our Phase III."

But Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire of the line, later made an observation to the contrary. "We understand that similar failures of Vossloh clips have occurred in the past in Germany and China," a letter written by Reliance Infra to RDSO dated June 8, 2012 (DAME/RDSO/2012/4593), stated.

For their part, DMRC officials claimed that they did not have any information about the damage that surfaced in the clamps on the Airport Express Line in December. "We were informed only in January," a senior DMRC official said.

DMRC director (works) Jitendra Tyagi also pointed out: "We never forced or instructed the concessionaire to adopt any particular track system for the corridor."

"Initially, the concessionaire suggested the 'single fast clip (SFC)' system, which was not found suitable for a high-speed corridor. Subsequently, the DMRC suggested four track systems - RHEDA 2000, VIPA, VANGUARD and double fast clip - to the concessionaire. Apart from RHEDA 2000, all the other systems were made by Pandrol which is a rival of Vossloh," Tyagi revealed.

Tyagi also disclosed that since the entire process was taking time, which could have impacted the eventual commissioning of the line, the DMRC suggested the RHEDA 2000 track system because it was already approved by the RDSO.