New Delhi:
Finally, the Millennium City has fallen in line with the Metro. The much-awaited Qutub Minar-Gurgaon link is all set to be flagged-off by next week. The 14.47 km journey will last just 22 minutes and the ride comes with a price tag of Rs 18.
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety, (CMRS) R K Kardam inspected the Metro track on June 9 and 10.
"We are expecting to receive the no objection certificate (NoC) by Friday afternoon. The physical inspection was satisfactory except a few minor changes," said an official who was part of the team.
During the two-day inspection, the CMRS checked the functioning of the electrification and signaling systems, tracks and all the stations. Earlier, the DMRC had planned to inaugurate the entire stretch from Central Secretariat-Gurgaon at one go. But now, the 27 km corridor will become operational in two phases.
Once the services begin, Gurgaon will become the second satellite city to get Metro connectivity after Noida, where it reached in November last year. The 13 km line connecting Qutub Minar with Central Secretariat is likely to be opened by mid-July.
There will be a total of 60 trains running at a frequency of three to four minutes for the line. The Central Secretariat-HUDA City Centre line, built at a total cost of Rs 3,720 crore, is expected to add over 3.4 lakh people to the Metro system by 2011.
The Haryana Transport Department plans to ply about 150 feeder buses by August or September between Metro stations in Gurgaon.