3 min readNew DelhiJul 29, 2011 01:06 AM IST
First published on: Jul 29, 2011 at 01:06 AM IST
The proposed link is expected to reduce travel time from Gurgaon to the heart of the Capital to 30 minutes
The Delhi Metro in its final detailed project report for a direct link from the Indira Gandhi International Airport to Gurgaon has proposed an extension of the existing high speed Airport Metro line to HUDA City Center. A 12-km elevated corridor linking Gurgaon to the heart of the Capital via IGI Airport,in just 30 minutes,is being proposed as the most suitable link.
The report,slated to be submitted to the Haryana government next week,proposes a direct link from Dwarka Sector-21 to HUDA City Center with two stops in between. While the entire corridor will be elevated,about 1.5-km of the corridor will be underground near the existing Dwarka Sector-21 station. The corridor is proposed to have stations at Palam Vihar and Maruti Udyog and will terminate at HUDA City Center,where it will be integrated with the existing Metro station for seamless travel. Officials said Palam Vihar with a significant residential population and Maruti Udyog being an important industrial centre were considered as suitable stops. Provision for yet another stop on the route will be made,which can be developed later if needed.
The line is expected to reduce travel time for commuters from Gurgaon to Delhi,taking just 30 minutes to reach Shivaji Stadium from HUDA City Center. Regular commuters from Gurgaon can also interchange at Dwarka Sector-21 and take connecting Metros to other parts of the city.
According to traffic surveys,a significant number of commuters will switch to the Metro and traffic will lessen on roads once this corridor comes up.
“The survey,however,does not determine whether most of the traffic on this line will be airport bound or general commuters travelling between Gurgaon and Delhi. But traffic figures show a substantial passenger load if the line gets operational,” said a senior Delhi Metro official.
However,the feasibility and detailed project report also looks at two other options for a regular Metro corridor with terminating points at HUDA City Centre and IFFCO Chowk. The HUDA City Centre route is likely to run through South City Chowk,Atul Kataria Chowk,Old Delhi Road,Sector-23,Palam Vihar and Dwarka Sector-22. The other possible route is expected to run from IFFCO Chowk,covering Sector-18,Old Delhi Road,Palam Vihar and Dwarka Sector-21.
The Delhi Metro,however,has recommended the extension of the high speed Airport Metro corridor as the most suitable link.
If the high speed link is chosen over the other two regular corridors,it will have to be implemented on a public private partnership as the costs involved will be high. Sources said that Reliance Infrastructure that operates the Airport Metro link has already expressed interest in the project. Once the proposal is approved by the Haryana government,negotiations with the concessionaire will begin.
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