Gurgaon Metro project plans altered

“A train starting from say point A will cover the stretch till point B and then return on the same line. At places like stations the track will be made double line for two trains to pass simultaneously,” a Gurgaon Metro Rail official said.

The Gurgaon Metro Rail is being constructed by a consortium comprising DFL and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS).

Under the project,there is a proposal to have common tickets for the Delhi and Gurgaon Metros. “The Gurgaon Metro is expected to serve around one lakh passengers daily. If the common ticket proposal works out,it will be a first-of-its-kind facility in the country,” Mahesh Ahuja,media spokesperson,IL&FS,said.

Another proposal wants to use metallic wheels instead of the earlier planned rubber wheels. A DLF Metro official said it will minimise risk. “This is the first time that a private Metro will become operational in the country. To ensure it success,we thought it best to stick to the conventional model,” he said.

“Replacing rubber tyres with regular ones will also check the economics of the project. Rubber tyres are any day costlier due to the wear-and-tear factor,” Ahuja said.

The number of stations will remain the same at six. “The six stations will be Sikandarpur,DLF Phase II,Bulverde Tower,Gateway Tower,Mall of India and DLF Phase III,” the official said.

Earlier,when the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had re-floated the tender for the project in March,the consortium had emerged as the sole bidder. The public private partnership-based project is expected to be completed by 2011.