In order to reduce operating costs, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) has taken a number of steps. A 20 percent reduction in energy expenditure has been achieved through the company’s cost-saving measures.
In a statement, Vinod Agarwal, director (operations) of Maha-Metro, said, “We’ve adopted a hybrid model for Metro trains. When a train goes at a certain speed, it generates power. Lights are kept on at stations only when there is movement, so they would turn on only before the train arrives or departs. The same principle would apply to escalators. They would only function when people are using them. Lighting would be automatically switched on when someone opens a store room door and off when they leave the area.”
Solar panels have been installed at Pune Metro stations to save energy, according to Agarwal.
With cost-effective technology, Pune Metro is trying to reduce operation costs. While other metros require 35 employees for every 1 km, Pune Metro only needs 20.”
In addition to having a dedicated electricity feeder line, Pune Metro also has supply lines from various locations, so that if there is a power outage in a specific area, another area would be linked up immediately.