Rithala-Narela Metro line gets nod from finance ministry
While the entire project is estimated to cost ₹6,231 crore to construct, Delhi and Haryana portions are estimated to cost around ₹5,685.22 cr and ₹545.77 cr.
The Public Investment Board (PIB) under the Ministry of Finance has approved the proposal for the Rithala-Narela-Kundli metro corridor, officials from the lieutenant governor’s office said on Saturday, adding that the estimated cost of this project will be ₹6,231 crore.
The officials added that they expect this extension of the existing Shaheed Sthal – Rithala red line corridor of Delhi metro to boost local economy in Narela and other parts of outer Delhi and Haryana. The 26.5km line is expected to be finished by four years after being sanctioned, i.e. by 2028, with 21 stations, they said.
While the entire project is estimated to cost ₹6,231 crore to construct, the Delhi and Haryana portions are estimated to cost around ₹5,685.22 crore and ₹545.77 crore, as mentioned in the proposal prepared by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
Nearly 40% of the cost of the Delhi component will be borne by the central government, while DDA alone will be chipping in ₹1000 Crore. Of the remaining construction cost, 37.5% will come from bilateral or multilateral loans, while about 20% will be covered by the Delhi government. For the Haryana portion, the state government will provide grants amounting to 80%, the remaining 20% will come through grants by the central.
Once approved, the proposal will be sent to MoHUA by the PIB, the former will finally sanction the project to DMRC. Following the final sanction, DMRC will proceed with land acquisitions.
This extension will be Delhi Metro’s fourth expansion into Haryana after the yellow line (Gurugram), violet line (Faridabad) and green line (Bahadurgarh), the officials from LG’s office added. The project is also slated to be the first-ever corridor to connect Delhi to the two neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the officials said.
“This route will improve the connectivity between the Narela-Bawana-Alipur areas with the city, while bringing forth an infrastructure boom in the area. It will also provide impetus to growth and development of the Narela-Bawana Sub-city, while addressing the long-pending accessibility improvement to the Rohini Sub-city area,” the officials from LG’s office said.
They further revealed that LG VK Saxena has been consistently working towards transformation of the Narela-Bawana and other outer Delhi areas and has discussed this project with the central government multiple times.
According to the officials, the main stations on the line will include seven sectors of Rohini, villages like Barwala, Sanoth, New Sanoth and Narela, JJ Colony. Additionally, it would include two stations in the industrial area at Bawana and five stations in the Narela area, which includes Anaaj Mandi, Narela DDA Sports Complex, Narela Village, Depot Station and Narela Sector-5.
In Narela sub-city the metro line will boost connectivity in areas where DDA is already developing an education hub with campuses of seven universities, along with a multimodal logistic park along Urban Extension Road II, multiple corporate offices and an All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus.
Similarly, in the Rohini sub-city; the heliport at Sector 36, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Ambience mall, Swarn Jayanti Park, the sport complex in Sector 14, the Rohini district court complex and the forensic science laboratory, will get further connected to the metro network, officials said.
Officials said that initially the expansion will feature smaller stations with platforms designed to accommodate four-coached trains that are expected to meet the initial traffic demand. However, they added that the stations will be upgraded in future to accommodate eight-coached trains.
“This corridor will ensure connectivity between three states, from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and further towards Kundli in Haryana. It is estimated to service 1.26 lakh daily passengers upon completion in 2028 and 3.8 Lakh by 2055,” officials added.
Before being scrapped due to high footfall estimation in Narela, initially, plans were made to have the Rithala-Narela corridor as a Metrolite one, said officials. They also added that DDA’s recently launched housing scheme with over 3,500 flats in Narela, serving as another reason behind the project’s route. DMRC to start work on its highest point so far
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is set to commence work on its highest point along the Magenta Line, officials announced on Saturday. The construction will cause train service disruptions for a few hours late at night on June 16 and 17.
The new stretch near the under-construction Haiderpur-Badli Mor station on the Magenta Line will be built at a height of 28.25 meters, surpassing the Dhaula Kuan viaduct to become the metro’s highest point.
“In view of the ongoing works on a 490-meter section of the Janakpuri West to RK Ashram Corridor of Phase-IV, where the alignment crosses over Haiderpur Badli Mor Metro station of the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli – Millennium City Centre Gurugram), there will be minor changes in last and first train timings on June 16 and 17,” a DMRC spokesperson said.