The Metro Man

E. Sreedharan – The Metro Man

He is quiet, unassuming, a workaholic, remarkably un-flamboyant, and 74. In other words, he lacks all the attributes of a celebrity. But after completing the spectacular Konkan Railway and then heading the Delhi Metro, E.SREEDHARAN is seen as the face of resurgent India, proof that despite all its downsides India still celebrates talent. He is also a living example of the usually forgotten reality that India’s Government sector continues to produce some of the world’s best Engineers & Managers. He is uncompromising on quality and work ethic.
On November4,1997 he took charge of DMRC Chief. The government kept extending his tenure and turned down his resignation twice. So he is still there, holding charge and proud to have been involved with a world-class project.
As an outsider he carried no baggage, no prejudices and looked at things entirely in a professional way. He said metro would never be viable if it had to compete with the railway. So he changed the alignment to connect places that had no alternative. Delhi has a high capacity metro capable of transporting 90 thousand people per hour. No other system can carry so many people in so short a time. Not every city needs a high-capacity metro. Even in Delhi subsequent phases may need only medium capacity. Delhi’s high capacity metro corridor cost Rs 110 crore per km. A mid-capacity metro will cost Rs 80 crore every km. Monarail, on the other hand, is very expensive at Rs 150 crore per km, and cannot carry so many people. All metro networks must connect suburbs so as to prevent overpopulation of the inner city by facilitating commuting. Fortunately, plans for extending the Delhi Metro network to Noida and Gurgaon have been finalized and even the money has come in. So Er. E.Sreedharan is a great inspiration to all engineers and we should follow his example. iT


(Er. Neelima Garg)
Executive Engineer ,ujsansthan, Dehradoon