Rapid Metro firm travels extra mile for swanky look

In yet another initiative to make Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon (RMG) look aesthetically attractive and blend into the skyline of the upscale DLF Cyber City, the promoters have planned to paint its viaducts and pillars with attractive colours. Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

In yet another initiative to make Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon (RMG) look aesthetically attractive and blend into the skyline of the upscale DLF Cyber City, the promoters have planned to paint its viaducts and pillars with attractive colours.

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RMG has already named its stations after corporate brands.

Sanjiv Rai, the managing director and chief executive officer of promoters RMG Limited, said that although the viaducts and pillars across all Metro structures were yet to be painted, the company has plans to give these a colourful look in accordance with the surroundings.

“Though it is very difficult to maintain concrete structures such as pillars where people illegally paste posters and other publicity materials, we have plans to paint the same with some nice-looking colours to make the structures gel with the city’s skyline. We have also finalised the branding of three of our six stations by companies such as Vodafone, IndusInd Bank and Micromax,” said Rai.

The RMG pillars would carry advertisements and if the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon permits, the promoters could go for advertising on the viaducts as well, added Rai.

RMG is not only the first Metro service in the country to be fully funded and operated by a private player, but it also boasts of some unique features: the third rail power system and the optional driver-less navigation mechanism.

It is the first Metro service whose tracks are not dotted with electricity poles as the trains draw power from the third rail that goes along the tracks. In sharp contrast, the trains of all the other Metro operators in the country draw power from cables mounted on the electricity poles along the tracks.