 The Delhi Metro has earned the status of the ‘World’s First Green Metro’, owing to the

continued efforts of the Delhi Metro Rail Service (DMRC) in building an eco-friendly and energy
efficient metro system. It has attained this prestigious status by following the green building
norms set by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) to the letter.

 Metro attracts people towards it and thus reduces the use of personal vehicles. The total
number of people who take the same train decreases the amount of pollution which is directly
proportional to pollution which each person will create at one time. Thus reduces individual
carbon footprint.

 Metro operates on electricity. Thus no fuel implies no carbon emission. Increasing usage of
metro has resulted in prevention of 131,395 tonnes of greenhouse gases like carbon di oxide,
nitrogen oxide from being emitted into atmosphere up to 2009 in Delhi alone. This is a five times
increase from 27614 tonnes in 2007. When we use metro we take a positive step towards
environment.

 In summers air quality deteriorates faster because harmful ozone levels are its peak. When it is
hot and sunny, volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) released from vehicles react and produce
low level ozone that tend to decrease the air quality. Thus preferring metro during summer can
be a good choice.

 Metros also help reduce noise pollution. It is quiet and runs smoothly. It’s a peaceful ride unlike
noisy traffic congestion.

 The Delhi Metro was the first metro in the world to receive carbon credits in 2008 from the
United Nations for its work in bringing down greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015, the DMRC was
the first metro to come under the United Nation’s Clean Development Mechanism. The DMRC
has also got numerous green certifications for its Phase III stations, substations and depots.

 Delhi Metro already has a few strategies in place such as reducing its carbon footprint by
installing several solar power systems across the networks, making roofs of highly reflective
material and insulating the walls and roofs of stations. DMRC aims to make about a sixth of its
power from solar energy in the next five years, thus promoting clean energy.

 The elaborate strategies cover carbon dioxide reductions and better waste management
arrangements as well as water savings. All these efforts will not only result in energy savings, but
the operational expenditure will reduce considerably.
 Delhi Metro uses solar power for 60% of its operations, making it one of the most environment-
friendly corporations in the country. So far, DMRC has only relied on its own roof-top solar
plants installed in its premises for generating solar power – this power was being used for
auxiliary requirements such as air conditioning and lighting of metro stations, among other
things. But recently, DMRC got 27MW power – this power has been increased to 99MW – from
the Madhya Pradesh-based Rewa Solar Power Project (RSPP), and this power is used to run the
metro trains as well.

 Going forward, on an average, DMRC will be taking around 345 million units of power from RSPP
and this step will also enable DMRC to save over ₹41 crore. Additionally – and this is the best
part – as a result of using all this solar power, DMRC will become the world’s 100%
environment-friendly rail network.

 It has claimed carbon credits for the use of a regenerative braking system. Under the
regenerative braking process, whenever trains on the Metro network apply brakes, three phase-
traction motors installed on these trains act as generators to produce electrical energy which
goes back into the Over Head Electricity (OHE) lines.

 The regenerated electrical energy that is supplied back to the OHE is used by other accelerating
trains in the same service line, thus saving overall energy in the system as about 30% of
electricity requirement is reduced.

 Most of the Metro Stations on the Blue Line conduct rainwater harvesting as an environmental
protection measure. Pragati Maidan, Palika Place, Jhandewalan, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar,
Shadipur, Kirti Nagar, Moti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Tagore Nagar (west), Om
Vihar, Dwarka Morh, Dwarka subcity.

 The initiative would help recharging the ground water in Delhi as the Metro has established
large catchment area on top of its stations, from where it is diverted by drain pipes to
settlement or filtration tanks for further transfer into borewells that are located below the
stations.

 The DMRC plans to convert all its stations on the first line (Shahdara to ISBT) into “green
stations” and is already working on developing and implementing maintenance contracts that
are environment friendly.