The Hindu : New Delhi News : Trial run on BRT corridor from April 22

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Thursday, Apr 17, 2008
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Trial run on BRT corridor from April 22

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

20 new low-floor buses would be pressed into service

To be open to public in May first week
Minister flays BJP for criticising the corridor

NEW DELHI: The trial run on the first 5.6-km section of the highly controversial Bus Rapid Transit Corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand Hospital in South Delhi would begin from April 22.

To begin with, 20 new low-floor buses would be pressed into service on this section.

Disclosing this on Wednesday, Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf expressed confidence that the corridor would live up to public expectations. “The corridor would be formally thrown open to the public in the first week of May. I am sure people will appreciate it once it is opened,” he said.

Incidentally, while work on the entire 14.5-km corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate is on, this first 5.6-km section up to Moolchand Hospital will be operationalised first to gauge how successful the project is.

The Minister said final touches are being given to the various works and the signalling of the corridor.

“Efforts are being made to ensure that all users of the corridor are able to use it without any inconvenience,” he added.

Mr. Yusuf took a dig at the opposition BJP for criticising the corridor. He pointed out that the BJP governments in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had also adopted the model to streamline their public transport system. The corridor on which four two-wheeler riders had also lost their lives had also been criticised on the ground that it would be unsafe for pedestrians who would be required to cross the road each time they wished to access or come from a bus shelter. To access these shelters, traffic signals would be provided almost every 500 metres and these, say critics, would lead to traffic snarls.

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