Not in position to operate after Sep 9, says Rapid Metro

According to the company spokesperson, the Rapid Metro has been suffering losses for some time and is unable to operate any further.

The privately financed Rapid Metro system, built by IL&FS Infrastructure is facing closure due to a financial crisis. According to the company spokesperson, the company has been suffering losses for some time and is unable to operate any further. “We have written to the Haryana government that the company could not run the service from September 9. We have urged it for takeover and are waiting for a reply,” the spokesperson said.

The Rapid Metro was constructed by IL&FS Infrastructure in two phases. Built in three years at a cost of Rs 1,450 crore, the service was opened in 2013. (HT Photo)

The takeover by the Haryana government is unlikely to be an easy affair. V Umashankar, CEO of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), said the matter was pending in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). “Until the NCLT makes a decision, there is no scope for the GMDA to take it over,” he said.

The Rapid Metro was constructed by IL&FS Infrastructure in two phases. Built in three years at a cost of Rs 1,450 crore, the service was opened in 2013.

The company expected office-goers from Delhi to the cyber city to inter-change at Sikandarpur and use the rapid metro. But it didn’t succeed as majority of offices were providing cabs.

Despite several efforts, the ridership didn’t increase as per the expectation.

According to the official, over 200,000 office-goers travel to Cyber City every day. “We had expected 40-50% of them to take the metro. But the footfall didn’t exceed 15,000 a day,” he said.

The 6.6 km second phase km, from Sikandarpur to Sector 56 was opened in March 2017, with hopes of increased ridership. It also increased the track length to 11.7 km. However, this failed to boos the ridership either.