Metro to beat Qutub deadline

Metro Trains will start plying between Mehrauli and Gurgaon sooner than expected as the DMRC revises its deadline to complete the stretch from July 2010 to January 2010, reports Sanjeev K Ahuja.

Metro Trains will start plying between Mehrauli and Gurgaon sooner than expected. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has revised its deadline to complete the stretch from July 2010 to January 2010. DMRC officials said the 14-km Gurgaon-Mehrauli stretch with 10 stations would be ready by January 31, 2010.

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However, after Qutub Minar from where the elevated Metro line eventually goes underground after Saket, work would be completed as per the earlier deadline, that is July 2010. The Sushant Lok-Qutub stretch would not be connected to the network in Delhi till the Saket-Central Secretariat stretch is completed.

“Till that time we are contemplating to run shuttle services between Sushant Lok and Qutub Minar. The number of Metro trains to run as shuttle trains is yet to be decided,” DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

“The decision to complete work on the 7-km Delhi border-Qutub Minar (Mehrauli) stretch inside Delhi by January 2010 came after a revision of the proposed Gurgaon Metro line. We had agreed to Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's request to complete the Gurgaon line by January 2010 at the time of signing of MoU between DMRC and Haryana,” said Daljit Singh, DMRC's chief project manager.

On the entire 14-km stretch between Qutub Minar and Sushant Lok, a total of 10 stations have been proposed; five each on both sides.

DMRC officials also claimed more than 60 per cent of civil construction work on this stretch had been completed. “We plan to complete civil work on this stretch by May 2009 after which other key work such as laying of overhead electrification, tracks and installation of equipment would start,” Singh said.