GDA finds Metrolite rail network feasible, seeks detailed project report

Ghaziabad: The officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Monday said that they have come to the conclusion that Metrolite — the light urban rail transit system — is ‘feasible’ in accordance with the specifications set by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for two proposed routes in Ghaziabad city

Ghaziabad: The officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Monday said that they have come to the conclusion that Metrolite — the light urban rail transit system — is ‘feasible’ in accordance with the specifications set by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for two proposed routes in Ghaziabad city.

A Metro train leaves the Hindon Metro station, in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The two proposed routes include Mohan Nagar to Vaishali and Sector 62 in Noida to Sahibabad. Earlier in January 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) submitted a project report to the GDA, which estimated a budget of ₹1,517 crore for the Sector 62 and Sahibabad route, and ₹1,808.22 crore for the Vaishali and Mohan Nagar route.

Last year, the authority also got a detailed project report (DPR) prepared for a ropeway project with an estimated ridership of 80,000 passengers on a weekly basis. The authority also considered Metro Neo, a mass rapid transit system providing low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly urban transport solutions for tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

Metrolite is an urban transit system which is planned in cities having lower ridership projections and is intended to act as a feeder system for existing metro systems.

“We have found the Metrolite as feasible in accordance with the guidelines of the Union ministry. We have written to DMRC to prepare DPRs for the two routes. The per kilometre construction cost of Metrolite is about ₹150 crore and it is much lower than the conventional Metro trains,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta, GDA chief engineer.

“The ropeway project is not feasible and has also received a lot of opposition from city residents. It will be scrapped and we will appraise the GDA board about this in the upcoming meeting. The passengers per hour per direction (PHPDT) of Metrolite is 2,000-15,000 and we have plans to get an elevated section for the project. There are many intersections on surface roads and that is why we will opt for the elevated section,” Gupta added.

The authority is facing a fund crunch and is working on different alternatives to connect to existing Metro stations.

Ghaziabad city at present has two Metro lines – Vaishali to Anand Vihar on the Blue Line route and New Bus Adda to Dilshad Garden on the Red Line route.