Metro comes to Gurgaon - for trial run

GURGAON - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda flagged off the Delhi Metro trial run from Gurgaon Friday afternoon amid much fanfare and applause. The route will be partially operational by May this year.

According to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials, the route from Gurgaon to Qutb Minar will be operational by the first week of May while from Qutb Minar to Central Secretariat, it will be functional in June.

The route in totality will connect Jahangirpuri to Gurgaon.

Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan, who was present at the trial run flag off ceremony, said: “Generally, a Metro route becomes operational a month after the trial run. However, in this case it will take four months because work on the Chhattarpur station is still under way.”

The trial run Friday was between the HUDA City Centre to Guru Dronacharya metro station on the Delhi-Gurgaon border.

The three stations between these two in the 7.3-km line are Sikandarpur, MG Road and IFFCO Chowk. The approximate distance between stations in this line is 1.5 km. The construction of the Gurgaon Metro line had started in December 2006.

“From Qutb Minar to the Gurgaon border, there will be four stations - Chhattarpur, Sultanpur, Ghitorni and Arjangarh,” a DMRC official said.

A big attraction of the Gurgaon section of the Metro will be the HUDA City Centre station. This eco-friendly station will have a shopping mall.

DMRC has planned parking facilities in nine out of the 19 Metro stations at the Central Secretariat-HUDA City Centre line.

“All the five stations in Gurgaon will have parking facilities. In Delhi, Chhattarpur, Sultanpur, Arjangarh, Ghitorni and Green Park Metro stations will have parking facilities,” the official added.

Union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy was also present during the flag off ceremony. On the completion of the route, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) expects a ridership of 1.8 lakh every day.