Extended metro network to bring old and new Gurugram closer

The project was approved on Wednesday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement issued by Union urban affairs ministry said.

The Union cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the much awaited Gurugram Metro project that will extend the Metro rail line from Huda City Centre Metro station to Old Gururgam and finally to CyberHub in a loop, thus connecting the entire city.

The 28.6km project will be built at a cost of ₹5,452 crore and the Metro line will have 27 stations. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo) (HT_PRINT)

Read here: Old Gurugram residents relieved, say will switch to safe and comfortable Metro

The project was approved on Wednesday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement issued by Union urban affairs ministry said.

After the Union cabinet approval, Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “The 28.5km elevated line with 27 stations will be built with a total cost of ₹5,452.72 cr & will connect old & new Gurgaon. It will be implemented by Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Company. By 2026, this line will have an estimated ridership of nearly 5.34 lakhs daily passengers.”

The 28.6km project will be built at a cost of ₹5,452 crore and the Metro line will have 27 stations. The project will be executed by Haryana Mass Rapid Transport (HMRTC) and financed by both the state and the central government.

The Gurugram Metro project has been stuck for the past six years due to repeated changes in detailed project reports and delays in finalising the route. As a result, not even a single kilometre has been added to the Gurugram Metro infrastructure after 2013, when the Rapid Metro became operational.

Reacting to the approval, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed his gratitude and tweeted that this line will significantly improve connectivity between New and Old Gurugram. Khattar also said this Metro line will act as a booster for creation of employment and business opportunities across the National Capital Region. “This line will also improve movement of traffic and help in reducing congestion,” he said.

Presently, the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro connects Delhi with Gurugram up to Huda City Centre station. The Rapid Metro line connects Cyber City with Sector 55 and Sector 56 along the Golf Course Road. There is a strong demand from city residents since long for the extension of the Huda City Centre Metro line to Old Gurugram and other parts of the city.

The nod from the Union cabinet will ensure that the Metro extension project finally takes off, much to the relief of city residents, who have been struggling with congestion and jams as a majority of the population depends on private vehicles for commuting.

According to the proposal approved on Wednesday, the Gurugram Metro line will be 28.50km in length and completely elevated; a spur from Basai village to Dwarka Expressway will also be constructed, which will connect it with the depot.

The total completion cost of the project has been pegged at ₹5,452 crore and it will have a standard gauge line of 1,435mm.

The project will be completed in four years from the date of sanction and it will be implemented by HMRTC, which will set up a special purpose vehicle with 50% equity of both central and state government after sanction order is issued.

A HMRTC official, when asked about the development, said they will be setting up an office in Gurugram soon.

According to the Haryana government, 90% of the land required to build this project is owned by the government and 10% is privately owned, which will be acquired.

The initial work on the Gurugram Metro project has already started and HMRTC on May 31 floated a tender for geotechnical survey of around 13km stretch of the Metro line from Huda City Centre to Sector 9 Metro station. Under the geotechnical survey, the consultant will analysis the soil strata of each kilometre on the Metro alignment and submit a detailed report after structural and chemical tests, the tender issued by HMRTC said.

The corporation is also in the process for selecting a detailed design consultant for drawing up the design of the entire Metro project, and three companies have submitted their bids for this purpose, said officials.

The detailed design consultant will carry out conceptual layout planning of 27 elevated stations and also provide detailed structural design of viaducts and special span. The consultant will also design and plan foot overbridges, and culverts.

Gurugram MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh said the cabinet approval is a dream come true for city residents. “I have worked consistently on this project and pursued it with both Union urban affairs ministry and the state government to ensure all obstacles and issues are resolved and this project takes off. This project will reduce traffic congestion, and allow people to use public transport to reach their workplaces,” he said, adding that once the Metro starts operations, the vehicular pollution will also reduce.

Read here: Union cabinet gives nod to Gurugram metro extension

Apart from Huda City Centre to CyberHub Metro line, the Haryana government has also approved the detailed project report for the Palam Vihar to Dwarka’s Sector 21 Metro line, which will cost around ₹1,687 crore.

According to the detailed project report, the spur or metro extension connecting Rezangla Chowk in Palam Vihar and Dwarka’s Sector 21 station will be 8.4km long, of which 5km will be from Palam Vihar to Sector 111 in Gurugram and remaining 3.4km will be in Delhi. This corridor will have seven Metro stations, with an interchange proposed at Rezangla Chowk in Palam Vihar to allow connectivity with the main Gurugram Metro line proposed from Huda City Centre to Cyber City via Old Gurugram and Palam Vihar.

This extension project is yet to get approval from the Union government.