Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. started the construction of 65 kms of its Phase-I comprising of 3 lines in 1998 and was completed in 2006. DMRC is receiving power at 220 kV at one and at 66 kV at five High Voltage (HV) Receiving Sub Station (RSS) in phase I. In 2006, based on successful completion of phase-I, Phase-II expansion of DMRC network comprising of 103 kms required 8 HV Substations. One RSS each was at 220 kV & 132 kV and six were at 66 kV. IEC 61850 was the protocol used for protection in Phase-II substations. Now Phase-III project for 136 kms is in progress and will require additional 11 HV Substations and augmentation of two existing substations. One of the substations in phase II at Church Road was being constructed to feed the power supply requirements of Badarpur Line (L6) and the Airport Line. This substation was planned to be constructed on a plot size of 5000 square meters, adjacent to the North Block on the Church Road. The substation contract was awarded with the equipments suitable for the above ground. The plot was adjacent to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, hence required the clearance from the Central Vista Committee (CVC). CVC desired that the above ground sub - station would cut the view of the North Block flanks and the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Since this was the only space in this area where 5000 sqm of land was available, hence it was redesigned at minus nine meters for the incoming cable gallery, minus seven meters for the GIS room and minus six meters for the transformer yard complying to the conditions of the CVC. In this paper the experiences will be shared that were faced in meeting the challenges in constructing a below ground substation with the equipments procured for the above ground RSS.
