Delhi’s satellite city of Ghaziabad is just a step away from getting Metro connectivity with the Delhi Metro launching trial runs on the Anand Vihar- Vaishali corridor ahead of its possible opening next month.
As night trails of trains on the 3-km link began on Wednesday, Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan inspected the corridor on Thursday morning and expressed satisfaction over completion of work on the stretch.Opening of the corridor, which will be integrated with the existing Dwarka Sec 21-Anand Vihar ISBT line, will benefit thousands of people in Ghaziabad and other neighbouring areas who travel to the national capital for work everyday.
With this, Ghaziabad will be the third satellite city in the National Capital Region (NCR) to get connected with Metro after Noida and Gurgaon.
Currently, residents of Ghaziabad have to come to Anand Vihar ISBT to board a Metro train.
Ghaziabad Development Authority officials have said that the Line will be opened to public on 9th July, but there is no confirmation in this regard from the Delhi Metro.
During the inspection, Sreedharan travelled on the corridor on a Metro train along with other senior officials and inspected the station structures as well as all other vital sections of the corridor.
“The night trials began last night and from next week the trials may be extended to day hours. It is being done because it is an operational line,” a DMRC spokesman said on Thursday.
The spokesman said the Delhi Metro is currently in the process of preparing necessary documents for the mandatory inspection by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) and they will be sent shortly.
“The construction work of the 2.57-km-long stretch has been completed and finishing touches are being given currently. Night trial runs on the corridor have also started since yesterday,” the spokesman said.
There are two metro stations on this elevated corridor — Kaushambi and Vaishali. CCTV cameras meant for the safety of the commuters have been installed and Metro staff has already been mobilised to manage the stations.
Sreedharan also inspected the parking lots of the Kaushambi and Vaishali stations and said that contracts in this regard would be finalised by the end of this month.
“While the Vaishali station will be able to accommodate approximately 110 cars and 140 two wheelers besides cycles, buses and autos, the Kaushambi station will have space for about 74 cars and 130 two wheelers,” the spokesman said.
These stations will also have integrated traffic management system where there will be dedicated parking bays for autos, buses, cars and rickshaws.
“The stations have been decorated with special art work for better aesthetic beauty. DMRC has also written to the GDA to arrange for feeder buses to cater to the nearby residential areas of Vasundhara and Indirapuram,” the spokesman said.
Delhi Metro, which currently has an operational network of over 185 km, ferries over 16 lakh passengers on week days through over 2500 trips.
Though Delhi Metro projects that 40,000 passengers are expected to use this stretch once it is operational, it is likely to be higher than this.