The Hindu : Front Page : Decks clear for Delhi Metro to airport

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Decks clear for Delhi Metro to airport

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI: With the Union Cabinet having accorded its approval to the Delhi airport modernisation plan and the finalisation of the bid for execution of the much talked about project, the decks have also been cleared now for extension of the Delhi Metro railway network to the airport.

According to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director E. Sreedharan, extension of the Metro network to the airport was always on the cards but had been put on hold in view of the long-running stalemate over the modernisation plan. Now that the stalemate is over and the much-delayed airport plan has been set in motion, he says, the exact alignment for the Metro rail network to the domestic and international terminals of the airport would be known in about two months from now. "Once the airport design is known, the Metro plan will move forward fast."

At present, construction of the Metro project is on just three kilometres short of the airport. While the 22.9-km Barakhamba-Dwarka Line III was inaugurated just this past December, the 6.5-km extension from Dwarka to Sector 9 Dwarka is scheduled for completion this coming month.

The DMRC and the Delhi Development Authority had in December also worked out the infrastructure cost of the 2.5-km Metro railway extension up to Dwarka Sector 22 at Rs. 275 crores and this section is also due to become operational in March. This would take the total length of the corridor to 32 km.

According to Mr. Sreedharan, while the Dwarka line is expected to reach the airport very soon, another direct approach to the airport from Connaught Place in the city centre is also being worked out under a proposal submitted by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry. However, while this line would take some time to come up, Mr. Sreedharan is hopeful of the Metro quickly reaching the airport via Dwarka.

"The line proposed by the Civil Aviation Ministry would have trains for regular Metro passengers as also air passengers," Mr. Sreedharan discloses, adding that it would also provide a very fast access to the airport from the city centre.

As for the connection from Delhi airport to Gurgaon, he says it is unlikely to take place as the extension to Gurgaon is being planned via Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road. "The interest of Gurgaon is served more in a direct access to the heart of Delhi than to Delhi airport," he feels, adding that this has also been made known to the Haryana Government.

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