Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Metro to Vaishali by July: DMRC

NEW DELHI: This summer, the Delhi Metro will cross another border. With trial runs starting in June, the extension of the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line to Vaishali in Ghaziabad is expected to be up and running from July, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation sources said.

For residents of Vaishali, Vasundhara, Indirapuram and Kaushambi – all across the UP border — the opening of the extension line is a much-awaited event. The 2.57km stretch, which will have only two extra stations at Kaushambi and Vaishali, will cater to a large catchment area, say officials. The daily ridership on the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line is expected to jump by 40,000, easily crossing the one lakh figure from the current 90,000.

DMRC plans to get the mandatory safety clearances for the new stretch in June itself, as soon as the trial runs start.

"Once we're satisfied with the trials, we'll also go in for the CMRS (commissioner of metro rail safety) inspection. If the approvals come in time, we expect to start operations by July," said the DMRC spokesperson. The civil work on the extension line is complete, the spokesperson added, with only finishing work taking place inside the stations.

That the Vaishali station will be a major stop for the DMRC is also apparent from the current ridership figures at the Anand Vihar Metro station. Of the 35,000 people using the Metro at the Anand Vihar station, only 15,000 are token-users, say officials.

The extension to Vaishali is expected to add 40,000 riders to the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line.

toi