City roads breathe easy, thanks to Metro

Thursday, Nov 25, 2010




If statistics are anything to go by, the arrival of Delhi Metro to Gurgaon has helped reduce traffic on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway. According to officials, there is a decline of 15,000 vehicles at the toll plaza of vehicles entering Gurgaon. The traffic police could not have been happier. "I would say the Metro has taken away 5% of our customers which means 15,000-20,000 vehicles per day," said a official of Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited, a subsidiary of DS construction who is the concessionaire of the expressway.

The impact of Metro is such that the BPOs and multinational companies have replaced cab service with shuttle services up to Metro stations for their employees from Delhi.

The ridership on Gurgaon's five stations increased from 35,000 per day

to 1.14 lakh. The busiest station in Gurgaon is Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, which is used by at least 30,000 passengers everyday.

"We were not using the Metro initially as it was not connected to other lines of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). But I have stopped driving to my office in Hauz Khas ever since the new line has been opened," said Ritesh Singh, a resident of DLF phase-I Gurgaon.

The introduction of Metro might have started impacting the road users, however, commuters feel there would be larger impact once the city has a good public transport system.

Experts say with five stations in Gurgaon, the city needs better feeder service and public transport to discourage car users.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/City-roads-breathe-easy-thanks-to-Metro/Article1-630624.aspx