New Metro lines connecting more NCR areas

New Metro lines connecting more NCR areas

Nov 8, 2011,
NEW DELHI: The NCR concept just got a shot in the arm. In a bid to connect the various parts of Delhi with the neighboring areas of Bahadurgarh, Noida, Gurgaon as well as Faridabad, the Delhi Metro will be going further inside these NCR areas in the third phase of its network. While the detailed project reports (DPR) for the extensions to Gurgaon, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh is ready and have been sent to the ministry of urban development for approval, the alignment for extension to Noida's sector 62 is still under finalization. Work on all the connecting extensions to the NCR areas is expected to be undertaken by 2012, to be part of the Delhi Metro's phase III construction.

With these alignments, the Delhi Metro will be blurring the state lines further and underlining the NCR concept, say officials. Said a spokesperson from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, "The empowered group of ministers (EGoM) has directed that the lines (connecting the NCR) may be considered for inclusion in Delhi Metro Phase III and a separate proposal be brought for consideration of the EGoM. We are in the process of finalizing all the alignments at present." The alignments include the extension of the existing Mundka corridor (Mundka-Inderlok) to Bahadurgarh, crossing the Tikri Border via Ghevra. The other line extension is that of the Yamuna Bank corridor to Noida's sector 62 via sector 32. This corridor at present is till Noida City Center. Another line extension - of the new Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar corridor of Phase III on to Shiv Vihar, an expansion by 3km, will also bring the outskirts of Delhi into closer contact with the central parts.

That's not all. As reported by TOI earlier, the extension of the Dwarka sector 21-Noida City Center line to IFFCO Chowk via Palam Vihar along with the extension of the Badarpur corridor to YMCA Chowk in Faridabad is also on the cards. This is besides the new corridor from Dwarka to Najafgarh, stretching over 13.875km, which has been sent to the ministry of urban development already for approval. Sources in Delhi Metro said that these alignments had been also clubbed with the three new extensions - Bahadurgarh, Noida sector 62 and Shiv Vihar, as a separate proposal for EGoM approval. "The proposal is for inclusion in the Delhi Metro Phase III, which means that work will need to be started by 2012. The DPRs of all these alignments have been put on fast-track," said the Delhi Metro official.

The alignments are in varying stages of planning and finalization, say officials. While the DPR for the Mundka-Bahadurgarh corridor was submitted to the MoUD and the Haryana government in the last week of October, the DPR for the Dwarka-Najafgarh and the Dwarka-IFFCO Chowk (Gurgaon) corridors are ready and have been sent for approval to the government for approval. The Faridabad extension has already gotten the green signal from the EGoM. However, the surveys for alignment finalization for both the Yamuna Vihar-Shiv Vihar as well as the Noida sector 62 lines are still underway. While the report on the former alignment is expected to be submitted by November 15, the DPR for the latter is still to be finished.