Tactile Paving Requirements for Indian Metro Stations: What DMRC and Other Metro Tenders Ask For

Indian metro corporations write some of the most detailed tactile specifications a contractor will meet. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) drawings have been copied, with changes, by many later systems, so a tender in Pune, Nagpur, Kochi or Patna often reads like a DMRC document with local additions. This article sets out what those specifications usually contain, based on the projects MetalX has supplied, so a contractor knows what to check before pricing.

Where tactile paving is required in a station

• Platform edge: a continuous warning field along the full length of the platform, normally 600 mm deep, set back from the coping edge or the platform screen door line by a dimension shown on the drawing (often 300 mm to the near edge of the field).
• Stairs and escalators: warning fields at the top and bottom landings, full width, 600 mm deep.
• Lifts: a warning square in front of the call button and the lift door.
• Guiding paths: directional indicators from every entrance through the unpaid area to the ticket counter, automatic fare collection gates, lifts and stairs, and on the paid side to the platform.
• Entrances and foot-over-bridges: warning fields at the head and foot of external stairs and ramps and at the property line.

What the drawings specify

Most metro drawings show a stud with a stated top diameter, base diameter, height and centre spacing, and a bar with a stated width, length, height and spacing. Some show a domed top with concentric rings; others show a flat-topped truncated cone. The two are not interchangeable in the eyes of a resident engineer, so confirm which profile the drawing shows before you quote. MetalX holds tooling for both, on loose studs and on integrated tiles.

Material clauses

Stainless steel is standard. Tenders in Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi and other coastal cities, and for elevated open-air stations anywhere, generally call for AISI 316. Underground and enclosed stations often accept AISI 304. The specification will ask for mill test certificates traceable to the batch, and sometimes for third-party inspection of a sample lot. Polyurethane or porcelain is occasionally permitted in back-of-house areas or at entrance plazas.

Tiles or studs

Platform edges are almost always integrated tiles: they install quickly in night possessions, align perfectly, and cannot be prised out. Loose studs are used around columns and curved edges, and for guiding-path turns. Some operators specify the tile fixing (screws plus adhesive) and the screw type; others leave it to a method statement.

Submittals you should expect to provide

1. Physical samples of the tile and stud for approval, usually two of each.
2. Dimensioned shop drawings showing the layout against the station architectural drawings.
3. Mill test certificates for the stainless steel.
4. A method statement covering setting out, fixing, adhesive and protection.
5. Manufacturer details and, sometimes, evidence of previous metro supply.

MetalX prepares the first four with the contractor and can provide references from Indian and Gulf metro projects, including a Saudi Arabia metro supplied with SS 316 studs.

Common reasons tactile work gets rejected on metro sites

• Stud profile does not match the drawing (domed instead of truncated, or the reverse).
• Field not continuous across column bays or at platform ends.
• Setback from the platform edge measured to the wrong reference line.
• Grade certificate missing or not traceable.
• Tiles laid with visible gaps or proud screw heads.

Quantities for a typical station

A two-platform station with 140 m platforms needs about 1,900 platform-edge tiles, plus 200–300 tiles for stair and escalator landings, and several thousand loose studs and bars for lifts, columns and guiding paths. MetalX can produce a bill of quantities from the station drawings and hold the full quantity in stock ahead of the possession programme.