Gurgaon is going to be the first city after Delhi to have metro connectivity in the National Capital Region. An agreement to this effect was signed in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Managing Director Dr. E. Sreedharan in Gurgaon today.

The agreement was signed by DMRC,Director (Project and Planning) Mr. C. B. K. Rao and Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning, Mrs. Shakuntala Jakhu on behalf of state government.

The Gurgaon extension of Delhi Metro is about 14.47 kms long, of which 7.42 kms will be in Delhi and 7.05 kms in Gurgaon. The completion cost of the project from Qutab Minar to Shushant Lok excluding taxes and duties will be Rs.1422 crore, out of which 734 crore is for Delhi segment and Rs. 688 crore for Haryana segment. It will be completely elevated. The section will have eight stations – three in Delhi (Chhatarpur, Ghitorni and Arjan Garh) and five in Gurgaon (Garden Estate, Sikandarpur, DT City Centre, IFFCO Chowk and Sushant Lok). The target date for completion of the project is July 2010. It will be an extension of the Metro corridor from Central Secretariat to Qutab Minar.

Responding to the media queries after the signing of the historic agreement, the Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda asserted that the state government was committed to improve the public transportation system in Gurgaon. "The government has already placed order to buy 15 new air conditioned buses and very soon these buses would start plying on Gurgaon roads," he added. He said that many other modes of public transport system, like Mono Rail among others, would soon to be explored and introduced. Haryana Government is determined to provide metro connectivity to even other NCR towns of the state. In this direction, a step forward has already been taken by the government by entrusting the work of Detailed Project Report of metro connection to Faridabad and Bahadurgarh towns. These detailed project report are likely to be submitted within two months.

While the Haryana Government will bear the cost of construction and provide the land required for the project, the cost of rolling stock (trains) will be borne by DMRC. The cost of extending the Metro into Gurgaon from the Delhi border, excluding the cost of land and rolling stock, will be Rs 570 crore.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the corridor was submitted by DMRC to the Haryana Government in December 2004 and the Group of Ministers of the Central Government approved it on October 17, 2006. The alignment of the Metro corridor is proposed to be mostly on the existing median of Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road from Delhi/Haryana border to IFFCO Chowk and on the median of the road from IFFCO Chowk to Sushant Lok.Parking facilities are proposed at all the eight stations. Soil testing has already been completed for the corridor and tenders are in the process of being finalized.

SALIENT FEATURES

· All the eight stations are elevated and to be constructed on the existing road.

· Land for the Haryana portion including land for staff quarters, will be provided by the Haryana government free of cost. · Initially 4 car trains (with ATP and ATC system) will run.

· The trains will run at an interval of 6 minutes both ways initially.

· The maximum speed will be 80 kpmh with an average of 35 kmph.

· Stations will have automatic fare collection system.

· Line will be provided with 25 kv over head traction system.

· This extension will also have on no. 6 kv receiving cum traction sub station at Sushant Lok for supplying power to the trains and stations.

With commissioning of above Metro Link there will be direct connection to Connaught Place and Delhi University. The travel time between Connaught Place to Shushant Lok will be reduced from one -and-half hours now by road to 50 minutes by metro. The above work is likely to start from the first week of December, 2006 and to be commissioned before the Commonwealth Games in October, 2010. By this link 1.25 lakh nos. of daily commuters between Delhi and Gurgaon are likely to be benefited in 2011 and this number is projected to rise to 2.82 lakhs in 2021.

Haryana Government is determined to provide metro connectivity to even other NCR towns of the state. In this direction, a step forward has already been taken by the government by entrusting the work of Detailed Project Report of metro connection to Faridabad and Bahadurgarh towns. These detailed project report are likely to be submitted within two months.