To save energy and give commuters a better lighting experience, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) plans to replace the conventional lights, such as incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps etc., with LED lights at 155 locations covering metro stations, depots, parking, etc.
DMRC has already covered 75 per cent of the target in recent months by installing around one lakh LED lights at these locations by replacing the conventional lights.
The remaining 25 per cent of the drive will be completed by the end of October 2021; around 35,000 LED lights will be installed in the remaining portion of these locations.
The operational life of conventional lights installed in Phase-I (2005) and phase-II (2010) was around ten years.
DMRC decided to replace these lights, which are well past their effective age now, with this new age LED lights that are cost-effective and energy-efficient.
The LED-based light system will help DMRC save around half of the energy expenditure vis the existing lighting system. As a result, the entire cost of installing these lights will be recovered by DMRC in around two years.
The lifespan of LEDs is long as compared to existing conventional lights with much-reduced maintenance costs. The average LED lasts 50,000 operating hours or more. It is more than 40 times the lifespan of an incandescent bulb. In addition, LED lights have an energy efficiency component which makes them consume a meagre amount of power.
Undertaking this drive in operational stations was a challenging task for the DMRC maintenance teams. As there is regular movement of people, the work had to be executed in the night due to safety reasons, which increased the installation time.
“Even during night, the work could be carried out for around two hours only in a day since the time window available from the close of last passenger service and commencement of first passenger service is very limited and other important operational preparedness and routine maintenance activities are undertaken in this period only,” DMRC said in a release.
DMRC has already implemented LED-based lighting solutions at its Phase-III stations, and a similar system will be adopted for upcoming Phase-IV stations.