Qutub to Huda City Metro line to open this week

The Delhi Metro line to Gurgaon is expected to be opened for public use next week. The 14.47km long section from Qutub Minar to Huda City Centre in Gurgaon got the mandatory nod of the commissioner of Metro rail safety on Saturday, subject to fulfillment of certain conditions. But even as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is yet to finalize a date for commissioning of the line for public use, sources maintained that train operations on the line will start next week.

‘‘The CMRS certification has come on Saturday but a date of opening the stretch has not been decided yet. Several issues need to be looked into before a date is announced. But the line will open soon,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson. Sources said that the date now depends on availability of VIPs like Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy. Sources added that the likely dates could be June 15 or 16, depending on availability of all three.

The Qutab Minar-Gurgaon stretch spans across 14.47 km of which half (7.3km) is across the Delhi border. There are a total 10 Metro stations on the elevated line, a majority of which will cater to residents of Gurgaon. Parking is available at Metro stations at HUDA City Centre, IFFCO Chowk, Sikanderpur, Guru Dronacharya station, MG Road, Chattarpur, Sultanpur, Arjangarh, Ghittorni, and Green Park.

All the stations, apart from the one at Chattarpur, will be opened for public use along with the line. This station will be readied towards the end of the year — its construction started late due to land acquisition problems. All the elevated stations will double up as foot overbridges and unlike the normal Metro stations, the stations on this stretch are equipped with escalators on both sides of the road.

By next month, the line will be extended up to Central Secretariat. This stretch is reportedly taking more time for completion as a large part of it IIT to Central Secretariat lies underground and takes longer to construct. Trial runs on this stretch are expected to start as soon as the Qutab Minar-Huda City Centre portion opens for public.