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Metro 0.5 km from every home
July 25, 2007

Travelling in rickety buses, caught in a smelly crush of bodies. Or gliding on escalators and stepping into AC comfort to zip to your destination in no time. The choice is clear and Delhiites have given it the thumbs up.

With Bluelines staying away from the Capital's roads, the Metro's ridership has been breaking records. Now, the network is set to become more accessible.

"Ideally, the Delhi Metro network should be within half a kilometre of every Delhiite,'' Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan told TOI on Tuesday. Accordingly, the Delhi Metro masterplan - with a 2021 deadline - envisages an integrated network spanning 381.11 km. It could be the solution to Delhi's transport woes.

Already, the three operational lines of Delhi Metro Phase I have acted as a reliable alternative to the collapsing transport system during the ongoing crisis. More than 7.24 lakh commuters took the Metro on Monday, generating the highest revenue so far - Rs 84.61 lakh.

"But the half-km target may be difficult to achieve with an MRTS system alone. So it needs to be complemented with high-quality feeder bus services, bus rapid transit systems and light rail transit systems. The Metro has to be the backbone of the transport system because its passenger-carrying capacity is the highest,'' said Sreedharan.

Taking the first step in this direction, DMRC is all set to start its first set of feeder buses, which it will directly supervise. It is also preparing a detailed project report to study the feasibility of a light rail transit system from Noida's Sector 32 to the airport at Greater Noida.

Metro to add 125 km by 2010

Plans For Dwarka-Airport, Jehangirpuri-Badli Corridors Await Nod

If Metro is the solution to the city's traffic problems, why wait till 2021? Can't we fast-track its construction? The answer: "Delhi Metro is coming up tremendously fast. Other metros being developed in countries like Taiwan, Singapore and even the US would take about 7-10 years to complete what we are doing under a strict three-anda-half-year deadline. In fact, if DMRC manages to pull this through, it would set a technological record of sorts in terms of pace,'' says Anuj Dayal, DMRC's chief spokesperson.

He points out that even before the actual construction of a line commences, there are several other time-consuming formalities which need to be completed. These include approvals from the government, identifying land requirements, taking permissions for tree-cutting and utility diversion on the route from local bodies, sometimes even providing alternative land for rehabilitation, handling stay orders in court and even opposition raised by the general public.

As of today, the Delhi Metro network measures just 65.1 km. The under-construction phase will cover another 125.04 km by the end of 2010, bringing south and east Delhi areas under the Metro umbrella. Phase II will also provide a fast-track link from Connaught Place to IGI Airport and connect Delhi to satellite townships of Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

In addition to the approved links from Vishwavidyala to Jehangirpuri, Central Secretariat to Qutab Minar, extended till Arjan Garh and Gurgaon, Shahdara to Dilshad Garden, Indraprastha to New Ashok Nagar, Yamuna Bank to Anand Vihar ISBT, Kirti Nagar to Mundka, Dwarka Sector 9 to Sector 21 and Delhi border to Noida Sector 32, there are also two more corridors which are awaiting approvals.

The corridors awaiting approvals are from Dwarka Sector 21 to IGI Airport and from Jehangirpuri to Badli.

The Network The Numbers The Deadlines Phase I (running): 65.10 km Cost: 10,571 crore Phase II (by 2010): 125 km Cost: 80,000 crore Phase III: 114.67 km Phase IV: 76.30 km (Combined Deadline: 2021) Total Metro network by 2021: 381.11 km Highest ridership (Saturday) 7.36 lakh commuters Maximum revenue earned from passengers: Rs 84.6lakh (Monday) No of passenger trips: 1200 Green Park April 2010 Qutab Minar June 2010 Noida June 2009 Airport Link Aug 2010

Meanwhile, the future course of the MRTS system as charted out by the Delhi Metro Masterplan 2021 in Phase III includes links between Mukundpur and ISBT Sarai Kale Khan; Central Secretariat-Mandi House-Daryaganj-Welcome-Nawada; Rithala-Barwala; Airport link to Gurgaon (up to T junction of Sectors 47 and 48); Sushant Lok to T-junction of Sectors 47 and 48; and extensions in Faridabad, Bahadurgarh and Ghaziabad. This will add another 114.67 km of Delhi Metro to the NCR.

"The blueprint of Phase III is being forwarded to the government for approvals. It is the government which takes the final call on what corridors are included in the phase,'' Dayal added.

Phase IV will add several semi-urban areas to the network through links from Sarai Kale Khan to Sonia Vihar and Reola Khanpur, Palam to Mukundpur, Dwarka to Barawala, Ghazipur to Noida Sector 62, Dwarka Sector 21 to Chhawla and Ajronda to Kheri Khurd, adding another 76.3 km.

Dayal said the masterplan is constantly under revision, and since it was first prepared, about 150 km have been added to the Metro network that was originally conceptualised.

Source: The Times Of India