Second line of Rapid Metro expected to open in early 2017

Rapid Metro Gurgaon released the route under its south extension line on Thursday, raising expectations that the line will commence operations soon. Sources said that operations are likely to commence in early 2017.

Rapid Metro Gurgaon released the route under its south extension line on Thursday, raising expectations that the line will commence operations soon. Sources said that operations are likely to commence in early 2017.

The line has been under construction since April 2013. (Abhinav Saha/HT)

The line has been under construction since April 2013. This is the second phase of the Rapid Metro and it has designated stations at DLF Phase-1, Sushant Lok, sector 53/54, AIT Chowk and sector 55/56. It is also called the Golf Course Line.

Rapid Metro has already extended the deadline for finishing the 6.7 kilometre line from mid-2016 to the last quarter of 2016. The new route was uploaded to www.rapidmetro.com.

Built at a cost of ₹2,143 crore, the service is expected to provide last-mile connectivity and a gateway to New Delhi via the yellow line of the Delhi Metro service through an interchange station at Sikanderpur.

A large share of residents along the line lives in upscale societies and work in large corporations in New Delhi and Cyber City.

There are six stations in the operational line of the Rapid Metro in its first phase — Sikanderpur, DLF Phase-2, Belvedere Towers, Cyber City, Phase-3 and Moulsari Avenue — over a distance of 5.1 kilometres.

Sources said that the work is progressing at a fast pace and 95% of the construction and 90% of the total project is complete. Construction of the viaduct along the Golf Course Road on the ground level is also complete.

Officials said that all viaducts (580 in number) have been installed and the seven trains for the south extension have been procured and are being tested.

Rapid Metro faced several challenges in completing the project — design finalisation, managing the interface with the road widening project happening simultaneously in the same alignment, shifting of a BPCL gas line, shifting of underground utilities for the construction of an underpass at the Genpact intersection and other requisite approvals. A spokesperson for Rapid Metro said that they have taken proactive steps to commence operations soon.

A senior Rapid Metro official said that safety tests, in coordination with Indian Railways and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are in the pipeline, after which services will be started soon.

Rapid Metro has an average daily ridership of 30,000 -35,000. The opening of phase 2 is expected to increase the ridership by twofold.