Nod for Palam Vihar-Dwarka Metro route, to be linked with Delhi Metro

The city is likely to see its metro connectivity improve after a long gap, with the state government on Wednesday approving the final detailed project report (DPR) for the Palam Vihar-Dwarka Sector 21 corridor. The project, which will be primarily funded by the state government, will cost Rs 1,678 crore and is expected to start in 2023, officials said.

The 8.4km metro corridor will take at least four years to complete, according to officials. It will have a 4km section in Gurugram — from Rezangla Chowk in Palam Vihar to Sector 111 — and the remaining 4.4km in Delhi, according to the DPR.

The route will have a total of seven stations — Palam Vihar, Choma, Sector 110A, Sector 111 (in Gurgaon), Dwarka Sector 28, IECC and Dwarka Sector 21 (in Delhi). Palam Vihar will have an interchange facility with the proposed Gurgaon metro corridor. Passengers on this corridor will also be able to transit to the Airport Express Line and the Blue Line of Delhi Metro at the terminal station in Dwarka.

“To provide better connectivity between Rezangla Chowk and Dwarka Sector 21, the final DPR was approved at the meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar,” said a senior government official.

Khattar also approved the gross project cost, including the state government’s share of Rs. 1,541 crore. “Approval was also given to nominate the administrative secretary of the town and country planning department as the nodal officer for the signing of agreements and other related documents for the implementation of the metro project,” the official said.

The project will be executed by Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC). “In fact, the metro route will have a total of four interchanges — the first one at Palam Vihar, the second one in Sector 110A, the third one at IECC of the Airport Express metro corridor, and the fourth one in Dwarka Sector 21,” the official said.

“These linkages will enhance the efficiency of the transportation system in NCR and also give hassle-free transportation facility to the passengers who would be travelling to IGI International Airport as there will be check-in facility at Dwarka Sector-21 station.”

The metro line, according to the CM, will benefit a large number of people from Delhi and Gurgaon. “The ridership of the route is also expected to be high,” he said.

“It was suggested at the meeting that instead of taking 20% of the share from the central government, the Haryana government can approach an international agency like World Bank for a loan to complete the project, which would reduce the time for the execution of the project,” the government official said.

The main metro route from Huda City Center to Cyber City via Old Gurgaon is also in the final stages of approval. “The New Palam Vihar to Dwarka Sector 21 route was developed as the second phase of the main project with self-financing. The expected traffic on Dwarka to Palam Vihar route is very high and the project is financially viable,” said another official.

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